


Ovi

by JeckParadox



Series: Worm AUs [2]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alt-Power Taylor Hebert, Gen, Mad Scientists, Tinkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 02:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15985316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeckParadox/pseuds/JeckParadox
Summary: Taylor triggers as a monstrously powerful Tinker, and becomes slightly unhinged as a result. Calling herself Robotnik, the plans in her head seem to spring forth fully-formed, and she quickly gains the attention of the other players in Brockton Bay.Originally posted on Sufficient Velocity under the same name.





	1. Fresh 1.1

"Have you noticed Hebert has been acting weird after she came back?"  
  
"She came back?" Emma asked, surprised, "So soon?"  
  
"Yeah." Madison said, confused, "You walked right past her this morning."  
  
"What? No, I would have remembered."  
  
"Maybe you didn't realize it was her?"  
  
"Maybe we finally broke her."  
  
"No, no, I mean,  _really_  weird." Madison continued, "Like, she was... smiling. And laughing. When was the last time you heard Taylor laugh?"  
  
"I... huh." Emma frowned, she did remember walking past a girl she would have sworn was Taylor- but she was wearing something bright colors, and grinning down at a notebook.  
  
"But... look it's really weird. She hasn't been paying attention in class or anything, she's just... scribbling, and grinning, and giggling to herself sometimes."  
  
"Scribbling?" Emma asked.  
  
"Yeah, in this one notebook. She's been doing it all day. Never puts it down. I think she's half-way through it already. I know for a fact she's gone through a pencil already."  
  
"Well." Sophia began, standing up, "I think I want to know what's so funny." the three of them walked across the lunch room, where Madison pointed out the girl.  
  
Sure enough, she was writing furiously into a notebook, looking for all the world both completely engrossed, and deeply amused, by her own work.  
  
"Hey Taylor. It's so nice to see you back in school, finally washed off the stink?" Emma asked, leaning over her- only to squeak as Taylor grabbed her face and pushed her away. Emma gasped, furious.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing Hebert?" Sophia asked in a growl.  
  
"Don't get in my light, simpleton." was all that Taylor replied.  
  
"Simpleton?"  
  
"Yes." Taylor grinned- and God, that was a weird sight, "I'm working on something so intensely brilliant- No. Even if I did explain it to the likes of  _you,_  you wouldn't understand." the girl slapped her notebook shut, sneering smugly at the three of them, before looking confused down at her own stomach when it growled, "Oh yeah, it's lunch." she murmured. She pushed between Sophia and Madison, not giving either another look.  
  
She then toppled over, and groaned at the sound of smashed glass. Sophia deadpanned a unsympathetic "Oops." She pulled her leg back from where it had tripped Taylor over, "You need to be more careful Taylor, you're so clumsy."  
  
The girl laid on the ground for another moment, before putting her hands under her and getting up. Without looking back at the three of them, she brushed herself off, collected her notebook, and the newly-empty frames of her glasses, and walked away.  
  
"...That was weird." Sophia muttered.  
  
"See!"  
  
"Taylor's getting cocky." Emma commented, "Why?"  
  
"Maybe the locker backfired?" Madison offered, "Maybe... I don't know, she thinks the worst is behind her, or something stupid like that?"  
  
"Maybe she just  _liked_  it." Emma said, loud enough for some of the other students nearby, who had watched without comment- as they always did, to hear. She got a few nervous laughs out of the crowd.  
  
"...I want to know what's in that journal." Sophia said suddenly, "She seems to be putting so much effort in it, it'd be a shame if she lost it."  
  
The three girls smiled.

* * *

That January day had been terrible to be sure, but now, I liked to think of it as a rebirth! I went into that godforsaken metal box but a monkey, and from that steel egg hatched a beautiful and brilliant homo sapien! Never before had my thoughts been so clear! It was as if I, and every other fool who wandered around were nothing but pretenders with clouded, limited minds. But now, now I could see the world for what it really was!  
  
Something full of opportunity!  
  
It was,  _just, **so,**_   **BRILLIANT!**  
  
And oh so wasted! Drab buildings, sour faces, uselessly spent resources, filthy creatures and people we'd be better off without slithered the streets like so many vermin!  
  
I had to show them the way. But of course, the world isn't kind to visionaries like me. It wasn't kind to me at all, now that I think of it, even before the locker. But regardless, I had my vision, I had designs, whispers in my skull just begging to be allowed to be hatched into reality in the world in front of me, but I didn't have the resources. Oh, sure, I could dissassemble the microwave and the television and the landline and take Dad's toolset to our bedframes and tear apart our car, which, really, has such an inefficient design ANYWAY-  
  
But if I did that, it still wouldn't amount to much. I needed raw material! And you know, Dad would be understandably furious and confused. I didn't particularly want to upset him. Especially since he seems to be in a better mood these days. It seems my new bubbly look at life was infectious. Or at least, I hope that's the reason.  
  
A lot of those smiles do seem awkward, and nervous, and maybe a little forced... hmm.  
  
Oh well! I have science to do! The whispers in my head decrease in pressure, at least a little bit, when I put them down on paper. I had been doing just about nothing but for the last... few days? When Dad ushered me to go to School, I didn't particularly feel like lying to him, and when he asked if I was 'emotionally prepared' and 'not too traumatized', I said that I was fine. So off to school I went.  
  
The trio- well, they had tormented me in the past, and for that they would  _pay._ But they just weren't my biggest concern at the moment. So I ignored them in favor of filling my notebook with my brilliant inventions all day.  
  
I suppose I did have to thank them for reminding me to eat- I don't want to get  _even thinner_! -but then of course Sophia just had to trip me, break my glasses. And that, I decided, was the last straw. She hadn't just assaulted me, this time. She had  _decreased my efficiency_! I had to squint and hold my notebook close to even check my own math!  
  
As always, my computer class was my refuge away from the terrible trio and their machinations, and the assignments for the class, which were easy for me before, were simply and absolutely child's play now. I finished my work in seconds, and then held off on submitting it for a few minutes so that the teacher wouldn't be suspicious. After that, I had the internet at my disposal.  
  
Now, what would teach those three a lesson they wouldn't soon forget? My own inventions, well, they tended to be on the large side. Nothing wrong with that, of course, they were beautiful mechanical marvels, and if they were small, well, you couldn't exactly marvel at them! I admit, my weakness, if I  _have_  one, is that the ideas that came naturally to me weren't very  _subtle._  
  
So I began searching online for easy-to-build pranks. The strategy my old, cloud-headed, dreary self had- to wait for them to grow bored. To not react, to ignore them as best as possible, and... hope. And wish. That they would grow bored... it... it wasn't working. And she couldn't see that, because she was clinging to that false hope. She didn't  _need_  hope now. What uses is blind faith, after all, when you have knowledge, that you are certain in your destiny? So I would try something different. If they weren't getting the message when I gave them the cold shoulder- well! They wanted my attention, they'll blasted have it!  
  
Hand-buzzer. Simple enough.  
  
I submitted the insultingly easy program (with improvements!) and asked to go to the bathroom.  
  
Once inside, I opened my backpack, drew out my screwdriver, and got to work. I climbed one of the stalls and tore apart the smoke detector, gathering the batteries, wires, and button needed.  
  
It was painfully simple work, and the result just was plain ugly, but it was of course, thanks to my genius, entirely functional.  
  
The next time any of those three blasted ingrates came near me, they'd receive a hearty zap!  
  
I returned to my seat, and began to search the internet for potential suppliers of scrap metal for low costs. Unfortunately, the short-sighted monstrosity that was capitalism denied me the opportunity. With only my meager allowance I could only purchase such a small amount of titanium. And including shipping costs, I couldn't even buy that!  
  
Such a shame.  
  
When I ruled the world, I would do away with such injustices.

* * *

"Here she comes."  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Ready."  
  
They had water balloons, and were waiting at the top of the stairwell. Well, of course they were. But I had deduced they would try something like this. As the three of them waited for me to come up the stairs as I usually did, I had gone up a different set on the other side of the building. Now, the three were so focused on the stairwell below them, that neither Emma nor Madison sensed my approach.  
  
Sophia though, apparently had better instincts.  
  
She whipped around, surprised, as I reached my hand out for Emma.  
  
"Uh oh." I say, as my hand closes around the red-head's arm.  
  
Emma screams, and Sophia does the first thing she thinks of, and pelts me in the face with a water balloon. I slap it away by instinct, and back up, to retreat, when she tackles me to the ground. I slap her with the buzzer, and she shouts as I scramble away, running for it! I suppose that went about as well as I expected. What a blunder on my part though! I should have made  _two_  buzzers, and gotten them both at once!  
  
"HEBERT YOU BITCH!" Sophia roars, her feet slapping against the floor as she runs after me.  
  
"How did you like the sting of my revenge Hess?!" I shout back, grinning despite myself. I'm fast courtesy of my long legs, more than anything else, and I was considering taking up early-morning running to try and build up some muscle, but Sophia is on the blasted track team, and she runs like a locomotive.  
  
She shoves me to the ground, and I give her another zap for the trouble. She bites back a hiss, and slams her fist into my face. I zap her again. She hits me again.  
  
We go back and forth and it's so dull.  
  
I should have just gone with my first idea, and constructed a robot to cover them with glue and feathers while they slept. But no, I had to be impatient! Oh well. Better luck next time I suppose.  
  
She manages to stand up, and even as I deliver a continuous shock through her leg, she gives me a kick to the jaw and I'm unconscious.

* * *

"Taylor, you look like hell, are you alright?"  
  
I grin, widely, "Of course! Well, a bit sore, understandably, but it was a learning experience, so I can't really complain, now can I?" as it is, much of my face is bandaged, and I'm sporting a black eye over both eyes. I didn't lose any teeth, which I'm fairly grateful about, and no broken bones. Sophia had held back enough to not send me to the hospital. I'd say I was grateful, but I know she only did it to limit the amount of suspicion she'd be under. At least Dad had brought my spare glasses so I wasn't blind as a mole. A creature which actually  _does_  have poor eyesight, unlike bats.  
  
"Taylor, I... I shouldn't have made you go to school, it was too early, and- they're talking about  _prison,_  Taylor. Or, juvie, I suppose."  
  
"Short-sighted." I sigh, "Don't worry Dad, I'll figure something out-"  
  
"You shouldn't have to. Taylor, I... I found the journal you made."  
  
"The one with the motobug in it, because that one-"  
  
"No, no, the one... where you recorded what they've been  _doing_  to you." Dad sighs, and looks so miserable, "I'm... why didn't you ever talk to me?"  
  
"Well, obviously, I thought I could handle it by myself. Obviously, I should have put more preparation into it. At first I was hoping, foolishly, they would just get bored, but when they escalated to the locker, I decided that more active defiance was in need. Thus, the joy buzzer."  
  
"But why didn't you ask for  _help?"_  
  
I shrug, "I did, from the school. Didn't go much of anywhere, they discredited me, the blasted fools. Well- it was actually kind of clever, they had alibis, I didn't."  
  
"But- if the school didn't believe you, couldn't you have told me?"  
  
"And what would you have don-" I stop myself, ugh, people are so fragile. Dad looks so broken. He's already been crying. Hmm.  
  
"I'm sorry. Taylor. I should have.. been a better father, I should have seen the signs, paid more attention-" some percussive maintenance then. I reach over and give the man a hug. Let's see... thirty seconds should do it, right? Neither of us were very touchy-feely people.  
  
Now for some white lies, "You  _are_  a good father, Dad." I say, "You've just had so much already on your plate. You've been supporting us alone, fighting through Mom's death, working to revitalize the docks and make the Bay a better place. I was hiding it from you, I didn't want to put more pressure on you. It's not your fault for not seeing, when I was the one keeping it in the dark."  
  
"Th-Thank you, Taylor." I begin to break away from the hug, and he holds tight an additional eight seconds before letting me go. He sighs, and looks around at the office where I was currently serving detention, "But this is a big mess we're in right now, huh?"  
  
"I suppose so." I wish they had confiscated my journal. Or let me have a pencil. Keeping my mind occupied wasn't as satisfying.  
  
Eventually other people came in, police, school staff. Dad argued with people, and I couldn't help but smile at his passionate rage. Then the PRT gets involved, for some reason, and my notebook is handed around, and Dad is pulled away for quiet conversations and OH MY GOD.  
  
That's Armsmaster!  
  
I used to have him on my underwear! And I said that out loud!  
  
God, I want to get my hands on that power armor, and on that halberd! But I know if I did try to take it apart right now, I'd probably get charged with something even worse than assault.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Greetings! I must apologize for all the chaos, but- well. They deserved it."  
  
"That remains to be seen. As it is, you could end up in juvenile detention. You destroyed school property, and alarm system that was meant to warn others in an emergency. You sneaked weapons-"  
  
"Tools! You're a builder, you know the difference."  
  
"-sneaked objects prohibited from being carried by students in the school  _into_  the school. And you constructed a weapon, and used it to attack two of your fellow students, who were unarmed."  
  
"Two students who had been waiting for me in ambush." I respond, "I was justified! More than that, they've been perpetrating assaults worse than that on me for months! It was justice I tell you!"  
  
He doesn't look impressed. Oh well.  
  
"But the words of the student body and of the staff all contradict yours. Teachers have described you as 'antisocial', a 'troublemaker' and 'clumsy'. You've been warned about falsely accusing other students of bullying before. Your word doesn't mean much here."  
  
"No, I suppose it doesn't." I say crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair.  
  
"You're in trouble." Armsmaster states cooly, "But you have an option that I suggest you take. You become a Ward, and we'll make sure you don't go to juvenile detention."  
  
"A... what?"  
  
"A Ward. You're a tinker, it's clear as much from your designs." Armsmaster grunts, pulling out my notebook. He flips through the pages, looking at my rough sketches, math, programs. "One with a specialty for... building robots, it seems. You've made a mistake here, but if you agree to come with us and be a hero, I can assure you that we can make things easier for you. More than that, you'll be acting as a hero. You'll receive resources, laboratories, where you can make your inventions. This is the best option available to you."  
  
He spoke in a no-nonsense sort of way. It was with an intensity that I knew he  _wanted_  me to say yes, but he didn't really hit the notes that people usually did when trying to convince others of something.  
  
As it was, this was  _probably_  the best option available to me. "Fine." If nothing else, once I had the resources to create my wonderful inventions, it wasn't like they would be able to do anything to stop me! No. Bad Taylor, these are the Protectorate! Besides, my goal is to improve the world Where else should I start, but here?

* * *

This was  _not_  a mistake!  
  
Oh, it was enough to move me to tears! The lab, the tools, the  _metal!_ I had quantity and quality, available at my fingertips!  
  
I got to work immediately.  
  
Armsmaster was nearby, keeping watch, as I rushed from place to place, moving around the lab in a blur. It was possibly the most exhilarating moment of my life! I had never before taken drugs, nor had sex, but I bet both of them would be paltry pleasures to creating my first robot!  
  
For a few brief moments, I was torn between what to create first! I mean, Armsmaster and the other PRT people had told me they just wanted proof that I was a tinker, and not just someone who liked to draw machines and filled pages of notes with math that was incomprehensible to other people. But just about any of the inventions that filled my journals could be used.  
  
But in the end, I thought back to the first few moments after I was truly lucid, and had some time alone to myself. The very first design I drew. It still brought a smile to my face, when I think about it.

My Moto Bug.  
  
Originally, I had planned to grab a motorcycle and break it down into two of these little beauties, but it  _was_ easier just to make them from scratch when I had the proper tools.  
  
And, for the first time since my awakening, I  _did_  have the proper tools! And all the materials I could want, and if I didn't have something, I could just request it! Speaking of...  
  
"Armsmaster?" I asked, turning to look behind me.  
  
"Yes?" he said from where he sat. He was both observing my first tinkering, and handling his own tasks at the same time.  
  
"I need to request a certain material."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I need a live rat."  
  
He didn't seem surprised, or even that curious, and simply nodded, putting in the order for me. Within ten minutes, a man in a lab coat brought me a rat in a wire cage. "Thank you." I say, opening it, grabbing the rat without a moment's hesitation and heading over to the nearly-complete Moto Bug. It had everything it needed to succeed, and now, it just needed the power source.  
  
As soon as the struggling rodent fell into the open chamber of the Moto Bug, it was trapped by a sudden electric field. The creature began to glow green, and the systems on my robot began to activate one by one. The rat was unharmed of course, if anything, I was prolonging its lifespan and improving its existence! No longer would it mindlessly wander its cage with nothing to do but eat or mate, now, it was the heart of my glorious first machine!  
  
The Moto Bug revved to life, balancing easily on its single tire, it began to click, whirr, and growl. My creation, my beautiful robot, is alive! Armsmaster is on his feet immediately, closing his laptop and now with his halberd in hand. He walks over, and holding his halberd in front of him defensively, approaches my machine. The Moto Bug locks eyes on him, and revvs threateningly. "I'd be careful." I say with a smile, "You're coming on a little strong there."  
  
"What's its purpose?" Armsmaster asks, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Ending high-speed pursuits!" I say proudly, "It follows a fleeing vehicle, catches up to it, then takes out the tires with its adorable little claws there, hm? I call him, the Moto Bug!"  
  
"Hm." he circles the machine, and the Moto Bug follows him with its eyes, antennas twitching. "It has AI?"  
  
"Of course he can think!" I say, "Though I can't particularly vouch for his intelligence. But you don't have to be especially smart if all you do is get told 'Chase, catch, stop'!"  
  
"Well... I think that's proof enough. We'll talk to your father about your position in the Wards and how we'll be handling your criminal case. For now, shut this thing down, and we'll have our people look at it."  
  
"Shut it down?" I ask.  
  
"Yes." he says, "Do it."  
  
"Um." While I'm not a fool, so of course there's redundant self-destruct switches, in case Moto Bug should ever try to turn against me, there isn't what one would call an 'off' switch. I created a method to power a machine nearly forever off a simple organic battery! The machine must be active in order for the field interacting with the animal to continue operating. It essentially fuels itself, forever, for as long as it is on! If I'm going to turn it off, I'd have to remove the animal manually, something I've ensured can't be done, so that no one may tamper with my glorious device! "Um."  
  
"There isn't an off switch?" he asked. "Is there at least a sleep mode?"  
  
"He's a robot! He can work without exhaustion, what would be the point in making it so they have to sleep?"  
  
The man sighs, before turning towards it, "Then we'll have to disassemble it."  
  
"B-But this is my first robot!" I protest, "You can't just kill him-"  
  
"This." Armsmaster begins, "Is a demonstration of your abilities. It was constructed in a PRT lab, with PRT resources. This belongs to us. Now, disassemble it." he ordered.

Destroy my first real robot!?

Flee the scene, save the Badnik! Screw the Protectorate, I'll go off on my own! They will rue the day that they tried to order around Taylor Hebert!


	2. Fresh 1.2

"You're a dick."  
  
 _"Excuse_  me?"  
  
"I've decided I don't want to take orders from the likes of you!" I declare, grinning.  
  
Armsmaster sighs, "That doesn't change what needs to happen to your robot. Now, disassemble it, or I'll destroy it myself. Afterwards, I'll take you back to the police station and explain to your father how you turned down our aid."  
  
"I'd rather not, thank you! Moto Bug!" I shout, before flourishing a hand towards Armsmaster, "I want that Halberd!"  
  
"You just made a big mistake." he says, but there's a grin behind it. Handling what he thought an arrogant child was something he couldn't do in the slightest, but an enemy? My own eyes sparkle as he gets into a position to fight. He's already underestimating me, of course. After all, he himself had seen me build the Moto Bug. He knew there were no hidden guns, no bombs, no energy beams or plasma blades. The material of the Moto Bug, while tough, wasn't anything he couldn't shear through with his halberd's plasma blade. Of course Armsmaster would underestimate my creation, knowing all of these things!  
  
But what he didn't know, couldn't know,  _was why I needed the rat_. It's the core factor of all of my inventions that are worth anything. The natural chaotic energies of the universe, untapped and unknown by man, yet utilized in trace amounts in every living thing! I didn't know what it was, but I knew how to  _use_  it.  
  
The Chaos energy is nearly infinite! By using a complex living organism as a focal point, I have created a robot that has access to unlimited power!  
  
Sure, it might not be the flashiest thing on Earth.  
  
But what was important was that it could do more than Armsmaster thought it could. I grin savagely, and my robot had already begun the attack. Armsmaster's halberd is already shifting, the plasma-blade emerging and igniting even as he swings it toward my robot.  
  
My robot, which has just accelerated faster than Armsmaster expected.  
  
Moto Bug slams into Armsmaster's chest at about 90 mph, the steel surface of the lab table dented by the enormous force the wheel put on it in the few seconds they were in contact while it was accelerating. When I build something for high-speed pursuit, I blasted build something for HIGH SPEED PURSUIT! He was designed to be able to be able to catch up to something moving at the speed of sound! Armsmaster is sent flying, and his halberd falls from his hand and lands in mine- ooh! That would have been nasty if I still wasn't wearing insulated gloves.  
  
Moto Bug lands with a clunk, the outside chassis dented from the impact. A pained groan from the hero informs me he's still alive, so I don't have to worry about murder charges on top of everything else quite yet.  
  
I turn, shove as many things from the desk into a tool box, close it, and climb on top of Moto Bug. I laugh triumphantly as we take off down the halls. My good mood is dampered a bit when my new halberd simply vanishes from my hands, but, hey, I got a robot and a whole case of new tools out of my visit! Not too shabby!  
  
Of course, Armsmaster isn't the only hero in the building. As I rumbled down the maze of hallways, alarms began going off. Over the intercom a warning of "Rogue Tinker-Master-Mover" began repeating itself, as well as the occasional update on my position.  
  
The Rig was a mess of towers and smaller facilities, all tightly-packed and interconnected. I didn't know the lay of the land, but the Protectorate ostensibly did. More than that, the other members of the PRT did as well.  
  
Moto Bug was fast enough that we were more-or-less a blur. We simply blasted around and between the regular PRT, but soon we found ourselves in trouble.  
  
At the end of a longer hallway, waiting for us, was Triumph. Big gold lion head and skin-tight suit and everything. He didn't give much warning before the solid wall of sound knocked me from my saddle. The Moto Bug wasn't as effected, but my loyal robot puttered back to my side rather than push onwards.  
  
In front of me, a currently-unbreakable obstacle. Behind me, PRT troopers who had seen me buzz past and were coming running. To my side, according to a very helpful sign, is break-room 112. Hm.  
  
"Moto Bug! To me!" I push myself back up and quickly open the door. Triumph yells something on the other side, but it isn't one of his super-yells, so I just ignore it.  
  
"YES! Moto Bug, the windows!" The break room has a view of Brockton Bay through the window, although the Rig's force-field makes the colors all feel far too bright. But what it does mean is that on the other side of those windows is open ground, rather than more hallways!  
  
The robot sputters in affirmation, before charging for the window and- smashing through the wall under it. And... dropping.  
  
"Moto Bug?" I rush to the window looking down. Whew! Not... too much of a drop. Moto Bug is looking up at me, waiting for his next order, and appears to be functioning. But then again,  _I'm_  not made of titanium. I'm still debating whether or not to try and just let myself drop, or try to hastily make a pully and rope out of something in the room, when Triumph smashes through the door I entered from and lets loose a blast of solid sound.  
  
Which sends me flying through the hole.  
  
"CATCH ME!" I command as I go sailing, and my robot follows me below. I nearly lose my lunch as I go cartwheeling, and nearly black out when my back meets rounded titanium. "Agh!!" It's... oh god that hurts... better than landing on the concrete. Moto Bug has a bit of bounce, due to his tires and shock system, so it cushioned me but  _dear god_  that  _hurt._  
  
"Ugh. I want off this island. Head for the side closest to the city. I flipped myself over, and managed to straddle my robot once more, but I was going to be lying down for a long time when this was over. Moto Bug begins to accelerate, when I realize something and shout "WAIT!"  
  
We turn around, I grab my toolbox, and then we renew our efforts to get out of this place.

* * *

"Colin, you alright?" Miss Militia asked, "Do we need to call in Panacea?"  
  
"I'll... I'll be fine. Just got caught off guard." he muttered darkly, looking down at the dent in his power armor. He was slightly embedded in a wall,  
  
"What the hell happened?"  
  
"Recently-triggered tinker. A master-mover combo. She specializes in building high-power drones with specialized uses. The one she built for me was apparently a high-speed pursuit drone."  
  
"Then how did it do  _that_  to you?"  
  
"According to the recording, it went from zero to 90 and crashed into me." he muttered, "High-speed pursuit."  
  
"Hm. Velocity?"  
  
"He would be able to best handle it. But he and Dauntless are on patrol right now."  
  
"Should we call him back?"  
  
"...She's just one girl." Armsmaster muttered, pushing himself back to his full height. Miss Militia moved to support him, but he waved her off, "With one tool. We'll take her down soon enough. Hopefully  _then_  she can be made to see reason- or it'll be juvenile detention."

* * *

I'm speeding around the edges of the Rig, and I just know that I'm running out of time. Even if no one here can keep up with the Moto Bug even at speeds where I won't go flying off, soon they'll decide to just begin spraying the perimeter with quick-hardening foam and things will get  _very_  inconvenient.  
  
Blasted idiots! All of them! But as it is, I can't exactly escape. The force field surrounds the whole area in a bubble. The only way in or out is if the people manning the force field want to  _let you_.  
  
"Grrrr! Come on, I need to get to a computer!"  
  
We head for a close-by facility, and charge our way in. The PRT troopers already inside are sent sprawling, and I hop off my robot and close myself in a room. "Moto Bug! Don't let anyone in!" my loyal mechanical marvel dutifully stands by the door, holding it shut against the pushing of the quicker-thinking PRT agents outside.  
  
I turn on a computer and begin going to work. Now... for the hard part.  
  
My fingers are a blur as I begin attempting to do something many have likely tried and failed before- hacking the Protectorate.  
  
I don't have to do  _much_  hacking, not really! I don't give a damn about their secret identities, or plans, or satellites or records or whatever! I'm just looking for schematics! Maps! Layouts of the Rig.  
  
Come on! It shouldn't be this hard to find, every PRT trooper in the building needs to know how to get from place to place don't they?  
  
AH! "Bingo." I say evilly, running my eyes over the displays. I then knock the computer over, and begin tearing it apart.  
  
I don't have a rat on hand, so batteries will have to do.  
  
Ahhh- even though I'm being hunted by superheroes and have men with guns banging down on the door, it just feels so damn good to actually be making something! It's not the same thrill as Moto Bug- that lab, I'll miss it- but it's good all the same.

Caterkiller. This one isn't exactly the same as what I sketched down in my notebook. It's barely much bigger than a rat itself, but even though it only serves one purpose, there is a beautiful elegance to it if I say so myself!  
  
Really, I do prefer working with bigger machines, but it'll have its use. As soon as I put the finishing touches on it, I drop the little robot in front of an air vent. Without waiting for any orders- it's not smart enough to process any, anyway, -my newest creation flies in.  
  
Now, it was just a game of keep-away.  
  
There's four other computers in the room, and I disassemble them in much the same way as the first. I create three things: A radio with three buttons on it, and two bombs. The first bomb goes on the outside-facing wall. The second goes in the toolbox, and the radio remains in my hand. Grinning, I back behind the desk, and hit the first button on the radio. The wall goes down, and I start running back to the relative saftety of open air. "Moto Bug!"

* * *

"She's been circling the place." Triumph reported as he jogged over to Miss Militia and Armsmaster. "I think she knows she's trapped."  
  
"Good." Armsmaster said, "Are Assault and Battery in place?"  
  
"They will be." Miss Militia said.  
  
Armsmaster smiled grimly. He'd like to see what happened when the girl's machine tried what it did to him on  _Assault._  And hopefully afterwards she'd acknowledge her own limitations and get with the program. Although... no matter how useful an additional Tinker is, she had a troublesome personality.  
  
Looking at her school records she was a bad egg. Repeated reports of clumsiness, bordering on self-injury, property damage, being a loner, being aggressive towards other students and repeatedly accusing and framing other children of actions the school proved to their own satisfaction were committed by her. Shadow Stalker's own analysis of her character didn't earn her any points either. The Protectorate already had one loner with a bad attitude and control issues in the Wards trying to avoid juvie. Adding another one might be more problematic than it was worth. Especially a girl so... megalomaniacal.  
  
The girl needed therapy, he thought, more than anything else. But as long as she was running around attacking members of the PRT and the Protectorate, she needed to be stopped. And stopped hard.

* * *

"Hey!" I recognized the all-red bodysuit of one-half of the Battery and Assault team. I actually liked the two of them quite a bit, as far as heroes go. Considered Battery to be an inspiration, once upon a time. "Kid, you've had your fun, but it's time to give it up. Step away from the lady bug, put down the box, and we'll see if we can put this all behind us, huh?"  
  
"Ohohohoho! No, I don't think so. I propose an alternate deal, you make an opening in the force field, me and Moto Bug leave without any further damage."  
  
"I'm afraid we can't do that." Assault said, his tone was casual and friendly, even as he slowly advanced, his arms held slightly raised in front of him.  
  
"Then we're at an impasse." I say, "Very well. How about this- give me my opening in the field, my force field-road back to the city, or I take down the field  _entirely."_ I threaten, still grinning, "You leave me a proper opening, and it's just business as usual. The entire field goes down entirely, for the first time since it went up? People will need explanations!" I laugh once more, throwing my arms wide, "I've broken a few rules, knocked Armsmaster around a little bit, and destroyed what- two walls? Five computers? All in all, I haven't done anything  _especially_  bad, no?"  
  
"First I heard about the computers."  
  
"Drat. But still! Isn't it better that we just go our separate ways, and I promise I won't come back? Scouts honor." I say, placing one hand over my heart.  
  
"Nuh-uh." Assault sighed, "Well, we warned you. Battery!"  
  
"As did I." I just know that she's charging towards me from behind, she had been hidden around the corner of one of the buildings, increasing her charge. But I hit the third button on my remote, and somewhere deep within the Rig my Caterkiller carries out its simple programming.  
  
Battery is nearly upon us, so Moto Bug has started taking evasive actions, heading towards Assault, before swerving around him. The gray and blue heroine has caught up, however, and she delivers a super-powered punch to her partner that leaves him, of course, unharmed, but has given him his own supply of kinetic force to launch himself after me. Really, three pseudo-speedsters, making laps around the edges of the Rig. I'm barely in the lead, but Battery is doing  _something_  that's occasionally tugging and messing with Moto Bug. Magnetic secondary effect, or something similar.  
  
I don't have to stay ahead of them forever, though.  
  
The Caterkiller does its job. I sent it deep into the bowels of the Rig, and it has since located the force field generator. It begins to eat as a caterpillar does; finding wires and biting them, finding buttons and pressing against them. Finding circuit boards and disks and scratching them. Absolute chaos. Bit by bit it will render the generator in its entirety destroyed.  
  
Soon the shimmering orb around the Rig begins to shudder, flicker, and warp. New bubbles form on its surface, where in other areas it spikes up in cones. Long shimmering force field-roads spike in and out of existence in various directions along its side.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"Ohohoho! I told you! Never doubt my genius! Now! Moto Bug, into the deep blue sea!"  
  
We keep going along our previous path. I'm not sure if I caught that in the wind, and the odd noise of a kinetic field warping, and the shouts of the superheroes behind me, but... was that a reluctant refusal? "Moto Bug! The ocean!"  
  
Another electric whine. Defiance!? "Now!" I growl, "Or so help me- are you worried you'll sink?! You're like, forty percent rubber tire! We'll float! Don't be such a baby!" properly reassured, ugh, Moto Bug finally does the logical thing and turns towards the edge of the Rig. "Full speed ahead! And I mean  **full speed**!"  
  
"Puppy!" Assault shouts, but he's too late! The two of us are already racing for the edge, the field is flickering, bending, if we keep going, we'll breach the field and we'll be clear!  
  
But then Battery gives him a flying leap that almost  _flashed._  The energy crackled through her, and the glowing blue has vanished, instead, Assault is moving like a red blur, a living dynamo that is- also heading for the edge of the Rig?! Nononono! "No! Moto Bug! Halt, turn, swerve-!"  
  
He manages to tackle us, and it's like all the forward momentum we had going is just sapped away. Assault himself goes flying, but he lands and manages to make several fast, long, lopes back towards us. Damn it! I need to build up more speed!  
  
"Loop back! Loop back! Build up speed- Go go go!" I order, and the Moto Bug does as I tell it, its engines rumbling with worry. Luckily, if anything, the longer we take, the more the force field dissipates. Soon, there'll be openings all over it, I'll have my pick of escape points! Yes! Just, just keep looking at the good points Taylor!  
  
Assault is gaining on me again.  
  
But I'm already moving quite fast again, the Moto Bug accelerates like no-one's business.  
  
There! A hole! We turn, and not giving myself any time to think about it, we're sailing out over open air.  
  
Now, if Moto Bug keeps his tire spinning, I should be fine when we hit the water, right? The forward acceleration will cancel out the downward momentum, or, pull it along with and who am I kidding. I wrap my arms and legs around the metal bug and wrench my eyes shut and hope we don't splatter.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

* * *

"Oh my god." Assault mutters, watching as the metal bug and its rider skip against the sea's surface, splashing horribly each time, until it managed to stabilize itself. The rider was somehow not dislodged, and Assault just, frankly, couldn't believe it.  
  
"That's- that has got to be some kind of shaker ability, it has to be. She should be a pancake."  
  
"Oh my god." the metal bug swerved like a speedboat, turning towards shore.  
  
"That's not normal, right? I mean, she's a tinker- is it an ability of the machine? Some kind of super-shock absorption? How is she even holding on after all that?!"  
  
"...You think we should call the hospital and see if she shows up?" he asked, seeming to shake himself out of it. The robot managed to get to shore, climb up the rocks, and make its way to the boardwalk. At that point, he just couldn't make out much else.  
  
The other members of the Protectorate on the Rig quickly joined the two at the edge, Armsmaster staring upwards in horror, practically shaking with rage.  
  
"The Rig's shields have never been breached." he growled, "We were  _famous_  for it." The Rig was his.  _He_  was the leader of ENE, it was  _his_  responsibility, and that girl- she just walked all over it, "I'm heading down to the boats." he muttered, "Miss Militia, can you get a shot on the robot?"  
  
In a green-and-black flash of energy, she was looking down the barrel of a sniper rifle. "No." she said, frowning, "It's already way out of any range I'd be comfortable with, and either way, its already among the buildings. I think we may have lost this one."

* * *

Being a living skipping stone wasn't an experience I ever want to relive, but it was definitely a unique one. Oh well, all's well that ends well? Right now, my greatest priority is finding somewhere to sleep off my multitude of bruises. But first, status check:  
  
I'm alive but in quite a bit of pain, but, hey, learning experience! Moto Bug is functioning and isn't too worse for wear, and, hey, also alive! I've got some professional tools, which I suppose I should check over to make sure they haven't been bugged, and I've also given the Protectorate ample reason to fear my genius- which may not be a good thing, in the long run, but Damn it felt good! Er, not good, but exhilarating! Satisfying!  
  
Now, however, lies a conundrum. The Protectorate will probably have someone sent over to my house, so that's not really an option as a resting spot. I'll have to put together some kind of messenger robot to tell Dad I'm fine and will continue to be so. It's so  _nice,_  really.  
  
I mean, I took apart the smoke detector at the school, sure, but I felt so justified in fighting the Trio that it didn't really matter to me at the time, I just saw an opportunity and took it. But now that I'm very much on the wrong side of the law... options have opened up to me. The world is full of so many more opportunities I'm curious I didn't see it before. I mean, sure, the Protectorate and the police will be after me, but I can handle that if I've proved anything today. But now I don't have to worry about silly things like needing money, or asking permission, or holding myself back!  
  
Moto Bug has been taking me along the sidewalk, to avoid the cars, and I'm not even worried! After all, the people are easy enough to swerve around.  
  
It's okay, of course. In the long-run, these freedoms will allow me to create such wonders that any debt I may owe morally or legally to society will get paid back in full. Heck, when I run the world, I can just pardon myself of all my previous crimes!  
  
We pass by a costume shop, and pat my robot twice to make him stop, "Go back to that store, there." I mumble. He returns to it, and pushes his way in using his claws, I'm still too dead tired and sore all over to really get up and walk around on my own here. Maybe some kind of wire frame under my clothes... hmmm.  
  
The clerk stares at me and my bruises and my Moto Bug, and seems trapped by his own hesitation. Moto wanders the halls at a brisk pace. A bright red pirate jacket with big gold buttons catches my eye, and I snag it from the shelf, open the packaging right then and there, and shrug it over my shoulders. The hat is tacky- made of cheap plastic on the underside, so I throw it away. Likewise I have no need for an eye-patch, and while a metal hook would have had some use, it's more cheap plastic.  
  
Moto Bug sputters back towards the entrance, and I level a glare at the clerk, "I need a disguise." I order, "Something to hide my face. Chop chop!"  
  
"Um." but he seems to blink, and reaches behind him- almost blindly, and produces a pair of Groucho Glasses.  
  
I almost throw it back at him, but I'm exhausted, and honestly? This would better hide my identity than some domino mask would anyway. I think I read somewhere that the Protectorate doesn't give out the real names of Capes, even villains, but I still would rather the average person on the street doesn't immediately connect my father to some supervillain. I accept the glasses, fake nose, and bushy mustache combo, and put it on my face, before we push back out of the store and sputter along the road.  
  
I'll make something better when I have the time.  
  
Now... I need a blasted bed! And maybe some kinda pain killer.


	3. Fresh 1.3

There were a number of abandoned buildings in Brockton Bay. Entire areas where apartment buildings were left mostly unused by their proper owners. In places like that, the homeless, gangers, druggies, anyone who wasn't welcome by society at large were welcome.  
  
Not that I'd consider that kind of rabble to be anywhere near the same league as myself! But I too was now an outcast of society. A supervillain. At least until I gather enough power to show the world the truth: That I am a visionary, the girl who deserves, more than anyone else, to be the ruler of the world!  
  
I find a relatively empty building. The few squatters that inside took one look at the primary colors, mask, and adorable robot, and decided to wisely vacate the premises. First things first, I need a bed.  
  
"Moto Bug, guard duty." I order, once we find an old ratty mattress and some crusty blankets. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to go out and procure better supplies for myself. Clothes, food, blankets, a better mattress. And metal. Well... now that I think about it, this  _is_  Brockton Bay. The boat graveyards alone should be enough to provide for all my needs in the short time, and if not, I can hang around the fringes whenever the Empire goes on the warpath. Kaiser and Hookwolf leave behind so much raw metal all over the place whenever they fight other heavy hitters. Hmmm.  
  
Ah well! A thought for another time!  
  
I go over all the tools in my toolbox, as well as look over the box itself, and can't find any tracking devices. That doesn't mean that there aren't any, of course, but it does mean that if there are then I can't exactly do anything. These tools are too valuable to throw away on a baseless assumption.  
  
I curl up in the blanket, pointedly ignore the terrible smell, and close my eyes.  
  
When I awake from my nap, I'm still covered in bruises, of course, the night is young and I have  _plans!_  
  
Moto Bug of course doesn't sleep, and I can tell from the trail in the dusty floor that he had been quietly circling my bed for the last few hours without much deviation. Grinning, I stand up, fetch the tool box, and begin searching the building.  
  
Most electronics in the building have long-since been hauled away and pawned, but some of the apartments have old ovens, old fridges, dish washers, etc. Within two hours I've gathered quite the large pile of scrap, and Moto Bug lugged it into the apartment I had chosen as my temporary base of operations.  
  
The next twenty minutes involved a lot of cutting, bending, wrenching, and polishing. Armsmaster's tools are top-notch, and definitely up to the task. Without any computers to scavenge I have to create my own circuits from scratch. Mice and rats are plentiful enough in the area, and catching a few isn't too much trouble. The materials aren't the best, but they'll do.  
  
I have decided to make some more robots. I can't just rely on Moto Bug for everything after all. Though I must say, I really do need a proper lab to work out of. The difference between Moto Bug and the other Badniks I've built (I'm a villain! I'll embrace the title!) is a stark one.  
  
Moto Bug is a good deal larger for one, almost two and a half feet tall and about as wide. My newest Badniks, called Crabmeat One, Two, Three, and Four, are only about a foot and a half tall. Without any tires, they'll have to propel themselves with their legs.

When considering speed, they're seriously lacking compared to Moto Bug's blistering pace, but that's not where their strength lies!  
  
No, that would be the packets of explosive Chaos Energy that each one of my four new minions are capable of launching from each of their claws every three or so seconds! It doesn't have half the potency of a grenade, but I don't particularly want that level of damage anyway. For the purpose of security and making believable threats, it'll be more than enough! Some preliminary testing showed that the Crabmeat's bombs could blow down walls, leave a smoldering crater in solid steel, and while I didn't have any real way or intention to test it, I was fairly sure getting hit by one would be fairly lethal for most people.   
  
"Crabmeats! Follow me! It's time we go do some  _shopping!"_

* * *

A simple wagon was but the work of a few moments. I would ride on top of Moto Bug, and the Crabmeats would sit in the wagon, pulled along behind us. It was about the size of a regular car, and I had no choice but to use the actual streets. Dodging around pedestrians was easy enough when it was just Moto Bug, but now he had a huge metal cart following his every move.  
  
I was still in the worse part of town. There were fewer cops, for one thing, and it helped I was more or less given a wide berth by just about everyone. You didn't get more obviously Parahuman than bright colors and robots. Merchant and E88 gang signs decorated just about every other street corner, and the few businesses that still ran nearby were pretty clearly a front for one group or another. But that suited me just fine.  
  
I mean, I did technically mug that clerk at the costume shop when I took the beaglepuss and the pirate outfit without paying, but it was so small. And, for that matter, they were a pressing necessity. But I still didn't feel exactly okay stealing from innocent people if I didn't  _really_  need to. But if the shops were simply fronts for those druggie/nazi bastards I didn't give a damn.  
  
The small-time furniture store run by a skin-head didn't have any actual beds, but an okay fold-out couch was carried out by my Crabmeats and loaded into the Moto-Wagon. A corner store that passed drugs for the merchants didn't have much in terms of actual groceries, but it had frozen pizzas, waffles, energy drinks, candy, and other various foodstuffs. Also, as a fun surprise, I can't believe I didn't think of it, there's all kinds of useful things for sale! Electric toys, batteries, cigarette lighters, cell phone chargers, little electric fans, aerosol cans! Air compressors, brass connectors, wrecking chisels, smoke detectors, tire gauges, hamster cages, thermostats and bug deflectors! Things I can use! Individual parts I can scavenge rather than needing to make from scratch!  
  
I was so thankful I didn't even break the door down on my way out!  
  
Next on my list was raw materials for building. There wasn't much chance of a computer store being run by anyone I wouldn't feel a little guilty over robbing, but I knew that I wouldn't be wanting for scrap metal. But as Moto Bug pulled our clunky vehicle down the road, I couldn't help but feel that it was... inconvenient. If I tried to head into the busier parts of the city with this setup traffic would be infuriating, and might also mean needing to make a choice between fighting the police and abandoning the more cumbersome wagon so that I could flee on Moto Bug.  
  
What I needed was some kind of cargo helicopter. Or something like it. Maybe quieter.  
  
Filling my belly and positioning the couch where I wanted it, I decided to turn my genius towards this goal.  
  
Among the supplies procured from the corner store are notebooks and pens, I lose myself in planning for nearly an hour, before I strike upon a design that just feels  _right._  Mobile, adaptable, sturdy as hell, and would be able to get me around the city without needing to deal with traffic or drawing too much attention- because really, when did people ever  _actually_  look up?  
  
Taking the wagon down to the boat graveyard I set the crabmeat on blasting apart the husks and dragging the more sizable pieces back to the wagon. Consigning myself to multiple trips, metal was piled until Moto Bug began to make nervous noises, at which point we headed back for headquarters.

* * *

The night came and went. The morning arrived, and with it, the framework of my beautiful vehicle. It was going to be a free-floating, almost silent, machine capable of interacting magnetically with all kinds of modules from its bottom side. The small wings allowed for greater maneuverability . In the front of the vehicle was a Chaos energy packet launcher, but modified for far greater output than my Crabmeats can handle! The vehicle was planned to seat one, and the dashboard would be arrayed with multiple monitors, every kind of input jack I could think of, keyboards, switches, and buttons! I think I might hit some computer stores for those parts just for the sake of convenience. The idea had evolved, from simply being convenient transportation, to a kind of mobile  _throne._  
  
I could see it now! From this vehicle I could integrate with, make contact with, and command all my other creations! It was designed to be extremely durable, fast, and powerful. It would out-run and out-fly any mundane helicopter with utter ease!  
  
At some point in the night, it occurred to me the smooth black semisphere that made up its bottom and the magnetic module-connecting device gave the entire machine a kind of cute egg shape. Wider closer to the bottom, and then tapering up with the high, rounded windshield. The idea was charming to me, so I named it the Egg Mobile 1!  
  
There  _was_  glass aplenty among the wrecked ships of the graveyard, but re-purposing that into the shape I desired for the windshield and also to make all my monitor screens was a bit complicated. All of it was, really. Without the stolen tinker-made blowtorches and my Badniks able to hold sheets of metal in place and bend it to my specifications, building something so big would have been a pipe dream! But who is Taylor Hebert other than the girl who will make her dreams reality!?  
  
I worked through the day, occasionally going off when some necessary part had to cool to fill my face with more snacks.  
  
Its tiresome work, bringing such marvelous things to life!  
  
Now... while,  _technically,_ because Chaos power is essentially infinite, just one Chaos battery should be able to energize a Badnik for all time. But even though the battery acts as a connection to that infinite energy, there's only so much that can be pulled at a time. It doesn't matter that you've made a perpetual motion machine if all the energy it produces is only enough to keep a light bulb lit, even if that light can keep going on forever. It'll take more than what a rat produces per second in order to make this thing levitate, and even more than that for my CEP Launcher.  
  
I could just grab a bunch of rats, but the Chaos extractor is only really built to hold one animal in stasis at a time. I could make a bunch of extractors, but it'd be a waste of metal, when I can just grab a bigger animal and make use of  _that._  
  
  
Once I have one, it'll be complete. I'm thinking an animal about seventy pounds or more. Now... where to go for it?


	4. Fresh 1.4

I was considering my options. One thought had me pumping myself up to go and fight Hookwolf and break up his dogfighting ring. That idea was shot down because, well, I got beat up by  _Sophia Hess_. And she didn't even have superpowers! It didn't matter that my Badniks would be doing the majority of the fighting, because against Hookwolf? There would be casualties. That and, I wasn't actually sure of what to do with that many dogs. How many dogs were even at a dog fight? Were there just two, or did they have just... like a big, evil pile-  
  
I'm stopping before I make myself sad. The Empire will have what's coming to them eventually.  
  
The point is, not the smart thing to do, and I was a genius. Going to the pound was a better option, but thinking about that, an even simpler approach was made clear to me. The pound was simply a re-seller of dogs! Why would I go to them, and pay money and or steal from them, (either of which would gather attention) when I could just go to the source of stray dogs itself? The streets!  
  
I still went to the area near the train yards where the E88 hang out, but rather than go looking for Empire dog fights, I looked for the survivors of such, or their descendants, or just random street dogs that come to hang out around here because of the garbage that the gangers leave behind.  
  
The Crabmeats are sent off as a group. After my trip to the corner store, I had some electronics I could take apart to figure out how radios worked, and keyed all four of my Badniks to the same unused channel. It wasn't secure, but I... didn't know how one goes about securing a radio channel anyway? And I don't have a computer on me to research how, so this would have to do. I didn't have a radio myself, but the Crabmeats can communicate with Moto Bug, and I can communicate with Moto Bug, so as soon as they find a potential candidate, the two of us know.  
  
Once Moto Bug gets the signal, we pull the wagon, now reconfigured for dog-containing purposes with its new door and lock, towards where the Crabmeats have apparently found the Egg Mobile's power source.  
  
The furious barking should be the first thing that alerts me to something being wrong, but it's not until I hear the sounds of Chaos energy packets exploding was the first thing to make me actually worried. I unhook the wagon, and the two of us speed towards the sounds of destruction.  
  
The sight of three massive monstrous things swatting at my three cornered- just three? Where's-  
  
"NOOOOO!" I scream, and the chaos in front of me comes to a startled stop as the Crabmeats- the remaining ones, rush to my side. Poor babies! Crabmeat number Two! You were not long for this world, yet I will never forget you!   
  
Somehow it's even worse than if Number One or Four died! You can't just go One, Three, Four!   
  
The three Crabmeats had been cornered nearby two large shipping containers by the monsters. One of the monsters had stepped on, or fallen on, or something, Crabmeat Two, and crushed it before I arrived. But it must have happened only a few moments ago, because it hadn't yet-  
  
The monsters backed up in surprise as Crabmeat Two erupted in a blaze of final glory. Never would one of my inventions be destroyed, and then studied by the enemy! For this reason, thorough self-destructs were a key factor of every Badnik. Be free, my glorious machine, the first of my number to die in the pursuit of their duties. May the fires of your self-destruct mechanism explosively launch your soul directly to robot Valhalla! Mechalla? Valhallectric?   
  
The sudden fireball doesn't expand very far. The self-destruct isn't a weapon. I don't design suicide bombers. Or rather, I didn't design the Crabmeats, or Moto Bug for that matter, to be suicide bombers. It's simply to prevent reverse engineering. And to that end... once the light dims down, the Crabmeat is only so much mechanical sludge, a contained lump of melted metal with no remnants of my circuitry, their mechanical brains, the CEP launchers, or my Chaos Extractor. Well, a lump of metal, and a glowing orb of Chaos energy holding a rat, still in stasis. It rolled away, before fading. The rat sniffed the air, took notice of the monsters, and fled.   
  
It seems that both I and my enemies were captivated by the last moments of Crabmeat Two, but now that the theatrics had ended, the monsters were turning their attention to me. There's a whistle, and a detail I understandably initially overlooked made itself known. The monsters were directed, by a bulky person wearing a dog mask. One of the massive creatures hurtled itself towards me, a horrible growl coming from its throat, and Moto Bug didn't need my directions to know that it was time to flee.  
  
"Crabmeats! I want you to hide! Your top priority is returning to headquarters undamaged!" the three scatter, heading off in various directions, and I direct Moto Bug out of the corner and towards the labyrinth of alleyways, shipping containers, unloaded train cars, and the like. We are, of course, faster than it by orders of magnitude, not to mention far more maneuverable! The precise movements of my finest Badnik far outclassing any organic attempts at locomotion! Well, except for people like Velocity, but they didn't really count.  
  
  
Inside me, two desires raged. The first was the desire for safety. That dog-mask person had directed what amounted to a dinosaur to chase me! I didn't even have my damn Egg Mobile yet! Nothing I had could stand up to that! It had killed one of my Badniks!   
  
But it was precisely for those reasons that my second desire, the desire for  **revenge,**  burned so hot!  
  
I narrowed my eyes, ground my teeth, cursed at the sky, and forced my pride back. Later. Later I would find that person... and do something. I'm not sure yet, but something! Crabmeat Two deserved vengeance!

* * *

All three of the Crabmeats made it back in one piece, and I gave them all a look-over and a diagnostic before heading back out to pick up the wagon. I had asked the Crabmeats where the most wild dogs had been spotted, and they had given their radio replies to Moto Bug, who was carrying me there. All three of the Crabmeats would be riding on top of it, and were instructed to fire from a distance should the giant monsters and their master show up again.   
  
We slow to a stop as I look at the area the Crabmeats had apparently tried sheparding a dog away from. It, like my own base, was in a part of town where only the more desperate homeless, gangers, and drug addicts hung out. The area was in a building that looked like it had stopped half-way through construction. The groundfloor was more-or-less complete, but it was otherwise just a frame, and a good part of the walls-enclosed area was open to the sky.   
  
There was also the constant sound of barking rising from it. More than that, wild dogs seemed to visit the area often. There's food around, it smells like other dogs, and there's not many people who shoo them away.   
  
I watch, interested, for a while, and eventually I see the dog-mask person again. I rescind my shoot-on-sight orders, and have them remain where they are as I inch forward. The monsters aren't anywhere in sight, and more than that, Dog-Mask walks like they're exhausted.   
  
"Greetings!" I shout, making a wide threatening smile.   
  
Dog-Mask whips around, surprised, and I swear they growl. The dogs closest to them begin to growl as well, closing ranks in front of them like a well-oiled machine. "Get out of here." they- she? -orders.   
  
"No, 'who are you?' No, 'how did you find me?' No, 'I'm sorry for killing one of your beautiful robotic minions?' How rude."  
  
"Get. Out." and like that, the three dogs closest to her begin to grow and twist, subtly, slowly, eerily. Flesh bubbled, spikes rose, muscles tore and grew and calcified. It was... utterly fascinating, really, but I'm not that big a fan of biology.   
  
"Hey now, just wait. Why did you kill my robot?" I ask, and the smile vanishes, "What gave you the right to murder my creation, hm?"  
  
"What gives you the right to have them menace dogs?"  
  
"Was it your dog in particular?"  
  
"No." and no more explanation after that. Hm. A general defender of canine rights, then?   
  
...  
  
I can work with that.  
  
"I needed one."  
  
That seems to confuse her, so I keep going, "The dog wouldn't have been harmed. I'm not going to experiment on it, poke or prod it. I would put it in stasis. My machines are powered by living things- you saw, didn't you?"  
  
"See what?"  
  
"The rat, inside dear, sweet, dead Crabmeat number Two. Even after it was crushed by your beast, and bathed in the flames of the remains' self-destruct, the field wasn't damaged. And after the field evaporated, it ran away, utterly unharmed in body and mind! That was what I was going to do to the dog."  
  
"Look for more rats." she ordered, "And leave me alone."  
  
"...That's a lot of barking going on in there-"  
  
"You  **aren't**  getting one of  **my dogs**." Never once in our conversation did the three stop growing. Already they were far bigger than ordinary dogs, bigger than even tigers, I think. Not quite rhinos yet though.   
  
"I would never ask!" I say, "No, all that I'm saying is, you already have so many mouths to feed. Are all the wild dogs in the area yours as well? Do you feed and brush them all? No, no you don't. But you don't like seeing them get hurt, that I understand well enough. And what I do, does not hurt them! If anything, they'll be better off! When inside the stasis, they are far safer than on the street! I'm extending its lifespan!"  
  
She stares at me, the dog mask hiding every semblance of emotion from me, but from body language alone, I can tell she's uncomfortable, and doesn't like or trust me. I sigh, expecting it'll come to a fight anyway- but to my surprise, the monsters are no longer growing. "...I watch."  
  
"You... watch?"  
  
"I want to see what you do with it." she growls, "And if you're lying, I'll kill you."  
  
I flash a brilliant grin, and she tenses, "And if I'm not lying?"  
  
"Then you don't come near me again."

* * *

Bitch, as she named herself, follows me back to my headquarters, all three of her monster-dogs at her side. Rather than getting a stray dog from the street, she went into her own base, and came out carrying a shivering, snarling, crazy-eyed dog in a cage. It pulled at my heartstrings, and I accepted it as the act of mercy that she meant it to be for the dog.   
  
She's not impressed with the Egg Mobile, but she's obviously not a technologically-minded sort, so I don't judge her for it.   
  
I show her the medium-sized Chaos extractor built into the floor of the Egg Mobile. As the Chaos extractor is the engine of my hover-throne, it lies at the core. I'll had to wait to activate the extractor before putting in the pedals and chair. I haven't found one comfortable enough to be worthy of my throne yet anyway.  
  
She hesitates for a few seconds, before opening the cage door and letting it out. Her own monster-dogs quickly make it back into submission, and Bitch grabs it while its distracted, keeping the snapping jaws away from her face. She lowered it into the extractor, and the electric green field activated. The dog snarled, and then stilled. Entering stasis, it remained floating inside the chamber.   
  
The extractor whirred to life, and the Egg Mobile began to hum as the lights on the dashboard lit up. If I had the pedals installed, I could make it fly right now.  
  
"Do you want me to pull it-"  
  
"Her."  
  
"-her back out, to show you she's fine?"  
  
"...Yes."   
  
I have the Crabmeats loop a rope around the circumference of the Chaos field's sphere, and pull it out of the extractor. The lights on the machine die, and I'm glad that I keyed off the Egg Mobile's self-destruct while I was still working on it.   
  
A few seconds pass, the field fades, and suddenly the dog is moving again, snarling and growling like nothing happened. Bitch tenses, and gives me a small nod, before abruptly turning to leave.   
  
"Wait." I bark.   
  
"What?"  
  
"You killed one of my minions." I say.   
  
"And?" she growled out.   
  
"The next time I need a dog to power one of my machines, I'll be coming back to you." I say, "And you'll give me another dog like this one, if you have one. Okay? And the time after that."   
  
"...Like that one?"  
  
"Like that one."  
  
"...Fine. Don't come until you need to." and then, she's gone.   
  
Whew! That girl isn't good for my stress. I'm sorry, Crabmeat Two, but after all that, I wouldn't feel right... punishing her, or whatever. And in the end, you're already dead. I will instead honor your sacrifice as one that has allowed me to secure a dog for the Egg Mobile's Chaos extractor anyway! Good job Crabmeat Two!  
  
Now... to secure a proper chair! 

After that...

Do some cleaning up around the city! As a visionary, of course- time to get my name out there by showing my brilliant inventions and wonderful plans! I do need money, after all. I'll start by talking to the mayor about constructing my Marvelous Mechanical Amusement Park! This drab city needs an infusion of real color!


	5. Fresh 1.5

One more stop at the E88-run furniture place, and I walked out with the most comfortable leather reading chair I could find. After that, a stripped-down car I found had pedals and a few other useful bits. It only took a few minutes to do an installation, and the Egg Mobile 1 was complete.  
  
Applauding myself and my Badniks, I climbed aboard and had the Crabmeats pull the support framework out of place. I braced myself on instinct for a moment, afraid that the Egg Mobile would drop and hit the floor, but we stayed in the air. Grinning, I did a quick loop around the main floor I had been using as my lab.  
  
Everything was working as planned, which was absolutely unsurprising. I  **am**  a genius, after all. I ate my remaining snacks, and then set to work on building a module for the wagon. The magnetic interface that made up the bottom of the Egg Mobile was the greatest strike of genius, if I said so myself. And I did! The smooth surface has a strong magnetic field that the Egg Mobile's AI- well, it wasn't too different from the Badnik's AI, but it was harder to define a personality without a face -could control with absolute precision. An electronic held against it could be accessed as if I had connected to it with a jack. It could also control the movements of precise machinery as long as the key moving parts were made of magnetic material like iron. I could essentially plug it into just about anything. It also served as a brute-force magnet when I wanted it to. Able to carry a large amount of weight with the selectively applied magnetic force alone!  
  
Carving out a semi-spherical section of the wagon's iron roof was enough, as well as a switch that connected to the lock on the door of the wagon. With little effort, I could simply fly over something, and then tip the wagon out over them. Dropping Badniks from above, or perhaps some kind of toxic sludge, or bombs! Ideas to work on later.  
  
I itched to go for a test flight, but I wasn't sure where to go. All in all, the last... huh, two days, man time flies when you're having fun! The last two days had been hectic, a blur of moving from one necessity to another. Saving Moto Bug's life, escaping safely, finding a safe place to bunker down, and building and fueling something capable of protecting myself, in that order.  
  
I should probably talk to Dad, he's probably been worried sick-  
  
oh.  
  
Oh shit.

* * *

 _Two days ago._  
  
"What's that alarm?"  
  
"Sir, please remain calm. The Protectorate and PRT are sure to handle it. "  
  
Danny tried to do just that, but when Armsmaster got on the intercom and began repeating, or perhaps made a recording and set it to loop, that "there is a hostile Tinker-Mover-Master on the Rig. Please apprehend her if possible. She is a tall girl with brown hair, riding a dangerous tinker-tech vehicle. I repeat, there is a hostile-"  
  
Danny hadn't exactly panicked, but life for the PRT agent next to him got significantly worse for the next half-hour or so, until the warnings switched to an automated "Rig Force-Field has been compromised. Retreat to the safe rooms immediately. Brace for impact." no impact came, obviously, the recording was made with the assumption that something trying to get into the force field had managed to break through, rather than something inside trying to push out. Something Taylor, evidently, decided to do.  
  
He was torn between fury and intense worry. Why had his daughter done this? What had the Protectorate done to her? What had she done to the protectorate? How in the hell did his little girl take down their force field? She was brought in because she jury-rigged a joy buzzer for God's sake!  
  
When things calmed down, Armsmaster personally gave his explanation, which smelled to Danny like bullshit. He didn't think the leader of the local Protectorate was lying to him, exactly, but the way he said it- "she claimed to be unaware of a method to deactivate her machine. I offered my assistance in doing so, at which point she began to irrationally lash out, audibly refused to cooperate, and then promptly began wielding her weapon against myself and other members of the Protectorate and PRT staff, and made attempts to steal classified equipment and tamper with PRT property-" Oh sure, a lot of that probably happened, technically, but Armsmaster was leaving out a lot of whys and hows.  
  
Taylor had decided that it was necessary to break free by force... and she had the wits and the ability to actually do it. Because of the lack of details, he was stuck with an unfortunate image of his daughter frolicking through the base, armed with nothing but a joy buzzer on every finger as she zapped everyone she came across.  
  
But how she managed to take down the force field and do that to Armsmaster's breastplate, Danny had no idea. And the Protectorate weren't intent on giving him any clues. As it was, they had eventually just sent him home, telling him they'd keep an eye out for his daughter, and to inform them if she called so they could... what? Arrest her? Apprehend her? Get her to a therapist? Get Danny to a therapist?  
  
Actually, now that he thought about it, therapists for everyone. That seemed like a pretty good idea. Maybe he could find some way to get the PRT to pay for it, too, seeing as they caused half this bullshit.  
  
But it brought up an important question, what was he actually going to do if Taylor came back-  **when.**  What would he do  _when_  Taylor came back? Try and get her to talk to them? He didn't like the idea of her being on the run, and he wasn't sure if he could support her if she decided to turn to crime...

* * *

 _The present._  
  
  
When the telephone began ringing, Danny didn't hesitate to pick it up. There had been a number of moments in the day where he had been disappointed, but finally, he was rewarded with his daughter's cheery voice.  
  
"Hey Dad! Sorry for, uh, running out on you like that, but I ensure you, it was for a very important reason!"  
  
"Taylor! Where have you been, are you alright, what happened, do you need me to come get you-"  
  
"No! No, no, no, I'm fine. Really! The last two days have been good for me, actually. Quite productive, quite cathartic! I uh, well. Hm."  
  
"Taylor?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Where are you? Can you come home? Do you need me to come to you?"  
  
"I... it'd be easier if you came to me, I think."  
  
"...Okay."

* * *

When Dad arrived, I was there at the entrance waiting for him. My red coat on, but the beaglepuss folded in my pocket. Honestly, that thing was a hassle to wear, but it was truthfully growing on me.  
  
When I caught myself in the mirror occasionally, I have to say, my appearance was a striking one! White insulated gloves (stolen from Armsmaster), bright red coat with gleaming golden buttons dotting down the center on both sides, matching bright red undershirt, jeans, a big pink nose and a bushy black mustache, and two pairs of glasses, the fake over my real ones.  
  
I... had a lot of self-image problems. Before at least. I liked my hair, but not much else. Even after I was awakened to the greatness that is the current me, I really just thought of myself as a brain in an unfortunately designed but ultimately unimportant flesh suit. But now... The girl in that mirror was colorful, lanky, smiling wide and looking ridiculous, yet utterly confident. Even dressed like a clown, I felt stronger and more respected than ever! More respectable, even. It was a look, a look all my own. One that screamed 'Parahuman', one that screamed 'Fun', one that screamed 'I don't care what you think of me!'  
  
I loved it.  
  
I think I'd be keeping it. Or at least, keeping the general aesthetic. The mustache tickled my lip a bit, but it was really a necessary part of the costume, wasn't it? Perhaps if I made it stick out to the sides? Hmmmm.  
  
Oh yes! Dad! Luckily I saw him from a distance, so my inner monologue didn't happen while he was awkwardly standing in front of me. I begin walking up to him, and I throw my arms around him when he's close enough. Let's see... thirty-seven, thirty-eight, there we go. I pull back, and flash him a brilliant smile. "Taylor, I'm so glad to see you." he said, looking me up and down, "Uh. Are you a pirate now?"  
  
"Um... kind of? I most liked the red and gold and flowing cape-kinda-jacket. I'll be making something better pretty soon."  
  
He nods, and looks around awkwardly at the aging and dead buildings, the broken windows, the garbage on the streets. He's not too comfortable around here.  
  
"Do you want to come in?" I ask, and he nods, and I hold the door open for him. He looks around, blinks, and whips his head back towards the Egg Mobile One, which was floating in the center of the room. Moto Bug and the three Crabmeats were standing at attention nearby, and when they moved, his attention was drawn to them.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Yes. Dad, this is Egg Mobile One, Moto Bug, as well as Crabmeats One, Three, and Four. They're my Badniks."  
  
"...Badniks?"  
  
"Well, they're my minions, and I was trying to find a good name for them, and I just kind of stumbled over the word 'Beatnik' in my head. You know, a 'dangerous and fun' vibe? But they weren't beatniks, not really, they're robots. They can't do drugs, or hitchhike, or play loud music, so they aren't beatniks, but I liked the word, and I thought, hey! I'm a supervillain, so, Badniks?"  
  
I didn't especially like the way he flinched at 'supervillain'.  
  
"...Taylor."  
  
"I had to get out of there, I'm sorry Dad. But they wanted to kill Moto Bug. He's a person- he's a robot, too, but he's still smarter than a chimpanzee and he's loyal, and he's  _mine._ He's my first real invention, the first thing I've made I could be truly proud of. I didn't know they were going to try and make me kill him before I made him, or I would have made something else, and kept going along with the Protectorate... even though, really, Armsmaster is a dick."  
  
"I... I can see why you feel like that. But, they're people?"  
  
"I mean, kind of? Moto Bug is smarter than the Crabmeats, they're basically dog-level intelligence, I think. I didn't have the same resources and I kind of made them in a hurry. And Egg Mobile is definitely intelligent, but it's a more robotty-robot. No real personality or emotions there, I'm pretty sure, but a very sophisticated thinking engine absolutely loyal to moi."  
  
"And... you made this all in the last two days?" he asked, utterly dumbfounded.  
  
"Yes! Think of what I could do with some actual money, huh?"  
  
"Did you... steal all the supplies for them?"  
  
"Technically. Most of its just scrap from the boat graveyard and abandoned stuff around here."  
  
"I see." he looks at the Badniks, and then back to me, "Well. I don't really know what to say. Are you coming back home?"  
  
"Probably not for a while." I say, "I'm probably labeled as a supervillain right now, and it'll take a while before I'd feel safe about letting that stuff get back to you."  
  
"It'll take a while? Isn't that kind of thing something that'll stick for life?"  
  
"Oh, I won't be considered a villain forever! Dad, I've decided that I'm going to change the world- ever since the locker, the world's just... looked so much more beautiful! There's so much wasted opportunity! And I'm going to take advantage of it! I'm going to revitalize the city, revitalize the way people live their lives!"  
  
Dad smiled at that, "Well, I'm glad to hear you're looking at things differently now. You once told me that you were a cynic." he said, "that life is far more likely to fall short of expectations than meet them. Seems like you're more optimistic now, huh?"  
  
I smile widely, "Absolutely! I mean, just look what I've done in two days, without a penny to my name! I mean, sure, I did some minor shoplifting, but I already know how I'm going to make it up to the city."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"What is the most profitable area of Brockton Bay?"  
  
"The Boardwalk."  
  
"I'm going to blow it out of the water!" his smile vanished instantly, "Not literally! Not literally, sheesh. I mean in terms of popularity, it's the area where the few tourists go. And why did people start going there to begin with? The Rig! People want to see the Protectorate, they want to see the fancy headquarters that occasionally appears in the cartoons! They want to see the towers, they want to see the Protectorate rushing out of it, down their invisible road, and into the city off to fight crime! That's what the draw was. Cape tourism!"  
  
Dad nodded along, but looked suspicious.   
  
"Now. We can both agree that Brockton Bay is ugly as sin, right? Not an ounce of life or color or activity. Drab, drab, drab, abandoned abandoned abandoned! If a zombie was a city, it would be good ol' BB! So! How do I best combine Cape tourism, with improving the soul-sucking nature of the town?"  
  
He stared at me for several seconds, before raising a finger, "Am... am I supposed to answer?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
He thought about it for a second, "It has to be more complicated than you using robots to paint the town."  
  
"I'm going to open an amusement park!"  
  
"...That's not a direction I would have gone with."  
  
"Look, amusement parks attract tourists, they're huge, they're colorful, they're lively! People come to park to have fun, and then when they relax they look at the rest of the city! More than that, it'll be the only tinker-made amusement park in the world! People will come just for the novelty value! And think of the jobs, I'll be employing thousands of people by the end of this!" I throw my hands open, "I think this can save Brockton Bay, I really do! Not to mention, it'll make me plenty of money. With the park making money for me, I'll be able to focus on building something great!"  
  
"Well... it's certainly an idea." he said, "But where did it come from?"  
  
"I wanted to cover this city with giant colorful fun machines." I said, "It felt like the natural first step."  
  
"But until then... you'll be a supervillain?"  
  
"I'm fifteen." I say, "I don't have many legitimate ways of making money. I'm thinking... easier to ask forgiveness than permission?"  
  
"So, what, just build your amusement park first, and then try to get legally allowed to run it?" he asked, "It seems difficult."  
  
"Yes, but, no. I was actually planning on proposing my plan to the mayor first, gauge the reaction and understanding of it, and then work from there. If he doesn't want to offer any help, then I'll start making plans, securing resources, on my own. Then I'll go back to him with my plans." I grin evilly, "And if the fool still doesn't accept my genius, I'll build anyway! At that point, my Badniks will be so numerous and powerful I'll be able to handle all comers! And after the park is done, what is he going to do, deny tourists the right to see it? Ohohoho! I'll build teleporters in other countries, if need be!"  
  
Dad was staring at me again, and I giggled, "I'm not going to let anything stop me."  
  
"I suppose not. Just... promise to be careful? If you ever need help, I'm just a call away."  
  
I nod, smiling, "Don't worry Dad."  
  
"And about the Mayor."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Danny smiled a little savagely, "Don't be afraid to give him hell. He's a stubborn son of a bitch who won't want to give you a dime."  
  
I laugh, "...Want me to fly you home? I can take the car, too. If the Protectorate asks, you can say that you tried to get me to come home, and I forcefully escorted you back."  
  
"Does... what did you call it, the Eggmobile really fly?"  
  
"Well it's not exactly touching the ground, is it?" I ask, smirking.   
  
"No, but have you tested it? Could it carry the car?"  
  
"Of course I've tested it!" I lied, "Come on, let's fly together."  
  
He looked nervous, but he climbed in anyway.   
  
The Crabmeats pushed open the doors, and I climbed in. Dad climbed in after me. It's a good thing that I inherited my stick-like physique from him, or we'd have trouble fitting both of us in at once. Leaning back on a leather chair, my foot hit the pedals, my hands on the wheel, and we hovered out of my headquarters.   
  
Dad whistled, as we rose higher, higher into the air. "I'll have to think of something besides a car to buy you when you turn eighteen, huh?"  
  
"Hahaha! By the time I'm eighteen, I'll probably have made gasoline obsolete worldwide!"   
  
The Egg Mobile hovered over Dad's car, and after a tense moment, managed to grab the whole thing with magnetism without damaging it. We lifted into the air, and floated down the street. We could have gone faster, a lot faster, but I was nervous about the car falling. That, and I wanted to take my time and savor the moment. 

* * *

Dad and the car safely at home, I activate Egg Mobile's radio. "Crabmeat One and Three, the two of you will guard the headquarters. Inform the Egg Mobile or Moto Bug if anything has gone wrong. Crabmeat Four, climb onto Moto Bug. Moto Bug, follow us. We're going to go meet the mayor."  
  
I take off at full speed for the first time and it is delightful!   
  
I'll admit, the Egg Mobile isn't particularly aerodynamic, so there's quite a bit of resistance when we're pushing it, but all the same, it's a good pressure. I have to go more-or-less by memory to find the mayor's office- I really need to get a connection to the internet on here, make everything so much more convenient, -but I arrive without much trouble. I'm not exactly welcomed in when I float over. People crowd to the windows, staring at me and my flying machine, and others flee the building through the bottom entrance. "Hello everyone! I'd like to speak to the mayor about a proposal I have!"

* * *

"How long til' the Protectorate get here?"  
  
"The Empire is acting up across town, and most of them went over there to try and moderate the damage. The Wards and at least one of the Protectorate should only be a few minutes, however."  
  
"The Wards- what are they going to do, that lunatic has some kind of- hovercraft. That thing, that thing on the front of it, the bulb or whatever, that's a death ray. I'm positive it is." the mayor muttered. "Has she made any demands?"  
  
"Only that she wants you to hear a proposal."  
  
"... How many minutes out?"  
  
"The PRT agent didn't say. Just 'a few'."  
  
"Any word from my son?"  
  
"It went straight to messages."  
  
"Damn it. Alright, someone find me a megaphone." receiving his megaphone, he approached the window, lowering it, "Alright, now, let's all just be calm here. No guns, no explosives, or death rays _._  What's this proposal?"  
  
"I'm an extremely gifted Tinker." the girl wearing a beaglepuss on top of captain hook cosplay announced from her flying- well not saucer, but maybe a cup, "And it has occurred to me that Brockton Bay is a city in decline. It's dead, lifeless, festering. Gangs come in, the homeless increase, the economy keeps going down. The bay is clogged with wrecked ships and its killed the docks and our shipping industry. I can help with that. More than that, I can make this city very, very profitable, and put us on the map globally!"  
  
The mayor nodded along, because he didn't want to make the girl with a death ray mad, even if she was constantly badmouthing his city, and him, the whole time.   
  
"The only area doing well, the only business that seems to be booming is Cape Tourism! People come to the Boardwalk to look at the Rig and get glimpses of the Protectorate. Brockton Bay is one of the highest Cape-dense cities in America. We capitalize on that, we hit things big time! My proposal is- the world's first Tinker-made amusement park! Everything about it would scream Cape! People would come around the world to enjoy the fun and festivities and see what riding on mad science looks like!"  
  
Roy Christner sighed. Everyone wants money from him, everyone wants their own little slice of the bay. Even wackos like this, "Well... you bring up some interesting points-" he stalled, "Er, what did you say your name was?"  
  
"Oh! Of course its-" the girl froze, and looked surprised at herself, "I haven't picked one out yet... let's see, how about... Robotnik?"

"That's uh... that's something." the mayor said, "But the thing is, where would we even put an amusement park? Brockton Bay is an old city. Everything's been developed. If we want to build anything new, something would have to get torn down."

"The boat graveyard! I'll open up the bay, free up shipping again, and it'll be a wonderful seaside attraction!"

The mayor paled, "But- but- that'd cost millions! It'd upset the gangs, you can't possibly expect me to sign off on something like this!"

"Eh, a girl had to try! I'll workshop it, and come back to you in say- two weeks?" I grin. "Now, I suppose I'll be off, I have plans to make!"

I turn the Egg Mobile away from the mayor, when I take notice of the gathering PRT vans. And what else spills out of one of them but the Wards! On the green below, Moto Bug and Crabmeat are looking nervously at the sudden small army that seems to have materialized behind my back.

"Egg Mobile! Why didn't you warn me!?" I demanded of my vehicle. Taking a moment to remember none of my current Badniks could talk. "Ah well. Wards! How nice to meet you! I was just leaving!"

One of them- a girl dressed in all-black, raised her crossbow towards me. I can't help but smile, "A  _crossbow,_ really? Why not try to stop my hovercraft with a slingshot while you're at it." the way her body tenses feels ugly and familiar. 


	6. Fresh 1.6

"Move away from the mayor!" Aegis announces, rising into the air. He doesn't make any threatening moves, none of them do, except for the one with the crossbows, who just... I know that bodytype. I know that stance, even. The way the legs are set apart. When I emerged from the locker, I began taking in details like I never had before. The vast, vast majority were about machines. What I could use, what I could break down, scavenge, improve! But some of those revelations were about living things. It was part of my understanding of Chaos, how it was intwined in living things. Recognizing body language was surface-level, compared to unlocking the mysteries of the universe.  
  
In a way, I tried to stop looking at people too hard. Because when I did, I knew that they could be improved too. Not as easily of course, wetware is so delicate and messy, and generally  _icky._ If I could just, turn people  _into_  machines, biology would be so much easier to work with!  
  
But, long tangent on my own brilliance short, I knew that body language. I knew that body.  
  
I grin savagely, and just about keep myself from outing Sophia right here and now. I drop the Egg Mobile close to the ground in a moment, and all of them back away in a hurry as I come close. I climb out of my seat and lean over my windshield, holding out a hand and giving my most dazzling smile, "You may call me Robotnik! As fellow parahumans trying to make the Bay a better place I do hope we can all get along." They're confused at first, but Aegis drops down. He's the oldest of the bunch, and therefore the leader, if I remember correctly. When I was younger it was considered a big deal in the news when Triumph grew out of being the leader of the Wards and moved on to the Protectorate proper.  
  
"Aegis." he says, taking my hand. Shadow Stalker flinches a bit, expecting me to joy-buzz him, I suppose, and I know then that she recognizes me. That clinches it, groucho is getting an upgrade, first thing I do next. Costume too, "And in the future, descending on city hall in a flying saucer probably isn't the best way to get the Mayor to speak with you."  
  
"Got his attention though." I say. "Though you don't need to introduce yourselves. Kid Win, Vista, Clockblocker, Gallant and-" I look at Sophia, "On the tip of my tongue... something starting with an S?" I ask.  
  
"Shadow. Stalker." Sophia growls, "Don't you think we should arrest her anyway? She had to be breaking  _some_ law, pointing a tinker weapon at city hall and demanding to speak to the person in charge."  
  
"We're not to escalate the situation. If- Robotnik?" Aegis glances at me, and I nod, I already like the sound of it, "-Is willing to leave without a fight, that's what the PRT wants."  
  
"Well, that's what I want too. See you, Wards. Stalker." With that, I pass over both of my Badniks, gathering them up with the magnet, and take off back towards headquarters- and now that I have my Egg Mobile, and am already planning on how to build my Marvelous Mechanical Amusement Park, I think its about time I relocated operations from the sad little abandoned apartment.  
  
I stopped over, had everyone load up into the wagon along with my couch/bed, and then took off into the sky, heading for the boat graveyard.  
  
Technically it was "Lord's Port" but a year or so before I was born the place was already called the boat graveyard. It was one of Dad's favorite topics to rant about, along with the ferry. The whole sea commerce business started going down the drain after the rise of Leviathan. With a loss in business there were protests, some shipping companies tried to hold the place hostage, not letting other people into or out of the bay. Ships got stuck, dockworkers refused to get them unstuck, there was shooting and arresting and all kinds of nonsense. It reached its climax with someone bringing down a huge cargo ship, one bigger than most of the sky scrapers in the city, right on the mouth of the bay.  
  
And now, it seemed, there just wasn't enough manpower to move it, or it'd be too expensive, or a hundred other reasons. No ferry, no shipping business, no entry by sea for a huge portion of the coast, and tons and tons and tons of metal no one was doing  _anything_  with!  
  
Something for me to rectify.  
  
I don't remember there being much gang activity down here. Some Merchants, some Empire, some ABB, but it wasn't anyone in particular's territory. I think I read something in the paper about Uber and Leet going down there to test out their tinker-tech occasionally, but I don't think their base was there or anything- and if it was, I'd evict them. I mean, there wasn't actually much there besides lots of partially-sunk rusting ships.

But for me? It was a smorgasbord! All the metal I could want! Glass, seats, steering wheels, instruments, engines, rudders, gears and propellers and plenty of other things.  
  
I found a derelict boat that was almost completely out of the water, where the rust wasn't so bad. I unloaded the Badniks, moved my couch into what I think were the former living quarters- there were two empty bunk-bed frames there, anyway, and set about making a space for myself in the bowels of the ship. Electricity was an issue, but not one that a seagull or two inside an extractor wouldn't fix.  
  
But more than that, I find myself troubled by the sheer scale I'm working with here. The Egg Mobile was the largest thing I've built, and I think it was close to the largest I could build with my current equipment. I needed some heavy-duty stuff if I was going to start building a real headquarters. Not to mention I didn't actually know what went into a proper lab? I could try to reproduce the lab at the Rig that Armsmaster let me use, but I'm not sure if that's the kind of lab I need. Armsmaster worked best with small stuff. His motorcycle the largest machine he's built, I think.  
  
The more I think about it, research is a must. I give the Crabmeats the order to blast away one of the smaller boats, and enjoy the view as they riddle it with holes, making it into only so much scrap metal. Taking my toolbox to the raw metal, I begin the process of making myself a computer. If I can create a handful of sentient beings with less, I can create a simple operating system. I opened up a section of the Egg Mobile's dashboard and connected the processors to the Mobile's power, then built a little antenna for internet connectivity.  
  
With that, I turn to the hive of genuine scum and pretend villainy that was Parahumans Online. I browsed quite a bit before I actually triggered, daydreaming about what I'd do if I woke up one day the next Alexandria. How naive, how foolish, I was back then. But after trying out being a Tinker, I wouldn't want to be anything else. If I ever felt the strange need to fly around under my own power and punch things, I could just  **build**  an Alexandria robot and transmit the copy's sensations to my brain! Ah, but that was for another day.  
  
I consider going to my old account, but I think a new one was necessary.  
  
I always have wanted one of those little <Verified Cape> things next to my name.

* * *

Spending some time prowling the internet, looking up the more local Capes and activity, I think what I'm looking for might actually be with the Merchants. I knew Skidmark as the leader of the gang, and was vaguely aware his girlfriend was a Cape as well. Squealer was a Tinker as well, and one with a specialty for gigantic vehicles. Huge, monstrous, ridiculous trucks. Most were simply reinforced, with weapons attached to them. But others were more clever. Explosive-launching, flying, wall-crawling. They tended not to last very long, but if I want to see what kind of lab I want, her place might be the one to check out.  
  
Maybe I can bust up some merchants while I'm at it.  
  
I do some quick work with some rubber and bit of my own hair- It was getting a bit long anyway -and make a better, bigger, fake nose, and a  _far_  more impressive fake mustache. I even put a small switch and a little radio inside it! If I tweak my nose just the right way, I can contact my minions without anyone being the wiser! That done, I'm ready to head out into the world.  
  
Time to fight some crime and plagiarize off one of my fellow Tinkers.  
  
I leave Moto Bug and Crabmeat One behind at the boat graveyard to guard my stuff, and then set out with Three and Four at my side to find Squealer.  
  
The Merchants aren't considered to be as big a threat as the Azn Bad Boys and the Empire Eighty-Eight, and I can understand why. Lung is a hardy bastard who could fight an Endbringer by himself, Oni Lee was a teleporting assassin making the ABB pretty much untouchable. The E88 on the other hand mostly relied on numbers. They had over a dozen Capes, and the majority of them had extremely lethal or powerful abilities. Compared to those two, the Archer's Bridge Merchants were small-time. Skidmark had a useful ability that let him push things within a certain area, Mush was a garbage golem, and of course there was Squealer, who was about mid-level when it came to Tinkers.  
  
But still, they had a following, and tended to keep out of trouble with the Protectorate and the other gangs, besides the occasional minor robbery and dealing and taking illegal drugs, they didn't do much. It was why no one had bothered to wipe them out. They were also based a bit too close to the docks for my liking. If they decided to expand, they'd be doing it into the grounds reserved for my park. Grinning, I flew into the merchant-run streets, and followed the gang signs.  
  
Merchants spotting me usually turned and ran, only one trying to shoot me. Luckily, the Egg Mobile was a crack shot, releasing a Chaos energy packet at high speed and vaporizing the bullet mid-air. Patting my ride affectionately, I chased the armed one, who began screaming for back up.  
  
With a little quick thinking, I had the Egg Mobile's magnet begin dragging scrap metal behind us, and flinging it to deflect incoming bullets. The Egg Mobile was sturdy, but I only had access to materials of so much quality when building it. A bullet might puncture the outer hull and damaging something delicate inside. I knew for a fact that if the underside of the Egg Mobile were to be repeatedly jostled by something moving fast enough and hitting hard enough that the entire thing might well begin to overheat and lost control of the magnets entirely. That, and I, personally, was not bulletproof. Another thing to add to the pile, I suppose.  
  
I push into the heart of Merchant territory, and its not long before I hear a rumbling growl behind me. Slowly building up bigger and bigger, the form of Mush made itself known as he began wading through the non-Cape Merchants to get to me.  
  
"Pew."  
  
"Whau- AAAAGGH!" the Egg Mobile's CEP launcher took out a huge chunk of Mush's golem body, sending melted and burning trash flying. The fused debris apparently can't be manipulated as well as the smaller pieces, so he is forced to shed even more of his body before coming forward.  
  
Three and Four open their claws, and their own smaller shots are flung into the fray, knocking him back, sending pieces of him flying. I smile evilly as Mush turns tail and begins to slither away, oozing with melted plastic and losing more and more parts by the second. I consider chasing him, but I don't care much. He's just a follower anyway, Skidmark and Squealer, those two are the real targets. It's not like any other gang in the city would be willing to take him in, and he can't do much damage on his own without the Protectorate coming down hard on him.  
  
At this point, it seems I finally earned the attentions of my two targets. I hear the rumbling of a truck and I can practically smell the gasoline being boiled and guzzled by the inefficient monstrosity she brings to bear. The thing comes screaming down the street, accelerated by Skidmark's power- a glowing rainbow design stretched across a part of the road.  
  
"You'll regret messing with  **us**  bitch!" I hear a male voice scream from inside, followed by a nearly deafening fog-horn. The truck seems normal, more-or-less, until you realize that every single tire was adorned with steel studs. The road behind them was practically undrivable as they tore down towards me. It's not really suited towards fighting me, but I suppose she just grabbed whatever was available. I hit the elevation switch and dart up into the air, letting the thing pass below me. I activated the magnet, and the Egg Mobile shredded the roof from the truck as it dashed by.  
  
I turn the Egg Mobile to keep my eye on them, and I'm pleasantly surprised when the truck, rather than slamming into a building it couldn't have possibly slowed down enough to swerve around, instead climbed it. The front of the truck rose up in a way remniscent of a catterpillar reaching for a leaf above it, and studded wheels met wall. The acceleration alone pushed the truck upwards further, and I heard a female cackling laugh as the thing swerved. She began driving along the fronts of the dilapidated apartment buildings of the street, aiming to ram me again. In a relatively cramped street like this, her vehicle was surprisingly mobile.  
  
But I was more mobile.  
  
Better yet, I had more weapons at my disposal. Turning the Egg Mobile, I fire a CEP into the wall of a building in front of them, ripping open the wall in a burst of crackling green light. Unable to swerve in time, the truck dips into the vertical pothole, and is sent off-kilter. The front of the truck, now lower than the back wheels, dug further into the wall, and the caterpillar-esque ability to bend worked against it, sending the whole machine into a kind of loop that smashed itself against the wall. The wheels lost contact, and the entire thing fell to the street, bringing the building down with it.  
  
"Ohohoho!" I laugh, hovering lower to them, "Good show! Good show!" the magnet takes hold, and while the entire thing is a bit more than the Egg Mobile can straight-up lift into the air, I can at least tug it in the right direction and convince the Egg Mobile to play around with the insides of the Tinker truck. Try to get its wheels spinning at least so it could dig itself out of the pile.  
  
Freeing the truck enough to my satisfaction, I have the Egg Mobile shred the metal frame of the truck's cockpit, prying it open. As a result, both Skidmark and Squealer are sent flying by some kind of ejection seat.  
  
Skidmark creates another of his glowing acceleration zones as he hits the tar, allowing both to slide a bit instead of scraping when they land.  
  
"What the fuck?" he barked, "What the hell did you do? What do you want? You think you can just come here into my territory and throw your ass around you mustached fuck?!"  
  
"Ohohoho! I think I've done  _exactly_  that!" I throw my hands into the air, "I think I in fact have you at my mercy!"  
  
"No you don't." he said, grinning, and in the next moments his zone disappears, only for a new one to expand across the road in front of him, under me-  
  
Oh shit!  
  
Up, up, up- no! To the side, I need to-  
  
The glow changed color, and the Egg Mobile was sent spinning through the air. "Damn it!" I hit the gas and have the hovercraft swerve hard to avoid being sent into the wall of another building. I didn't know that he could affect things in the air above his zone!  
  
Luckily, it seemed he couldn't expand it after already setting it down. Now that I shifted out of the zone, I aimed the CEP at the ground in front of their feet and fired. The two were caught in the shockwave, but not the burst of energy itself. The two were sent sprawling, and I quickly lowered close to the ground. "Three, Skidmark! Four, Squealer!" I ordered, "Claws around the wrists!"  
  
The Crabmeats fling themselves from the Egg Mobile's cockpits, skittering across the scarred road, and shoving both villains onto their sides. Crabmeats secured their claws around their wrists, and I climbed out of my vehicle, grabbing Squealer and hauling her to her feet.  
  
"Lemme go, asshole!" she growled.  
  
"Do you want to know what's locked around your wrist?" Crabmeat Four goes a step further, his metal legs gripping Squealer's back, "I call them Crabmeats, cause they look like cute little crabs. But another name I considered was 'Shellblaster' or something like that. Inside their claws are weapons just like the one I used to blow open a hole in that building. Less powerful, of course, but at this range... a tinker ain't worth anything without her hands, no?"  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Skidmark muttered, "Money? Territory?"  
  
"Oh! I should grab everything you have, shouldn't I! But no, in this case I'm here because I'm a Tinker, but I'm woefully uninformed. I don't even have a lab. These creations, while brilliant, are but shadows before what I will make in the future." I say, "But to do that, I need to see what kind of equipment you have."  
  
"You want to steal my lab?!"  
  
"Perhaps. Mostly I just want to see it. The fact that taking out the two of you will make this city a better place is just a bonus."  
  
"Look, you don't know what you're talking about." Skidmark begins, "Without a proper leader, the Merchants'll just run ragged, you know? Do you want the Empire to control another quarter of this damn city, huh? I'm a stabilizing influence, is what I am!"  
  
"Pfft."  
  
"I am! Besides- I can't go to jail again, I'm already down my three strikes, you send me to the Protectorate assholes, I'm birdcaged. You want to do that to me, bitch, you want that shit on your conscience?"  
  
"Skid's a good guy, really!" Squealer says, "Look, if you let us go, I'll show you my lab, you take whatever shit you want. We forget this bullshit ever happened, I mean, for god's sake, you're just a kid, you can't do that to a guy, can you?"  
  
I look between the two, and give their words the consideration they're due.


	7. Fresh 1.7

"...You're right." I say, after considering the two of them, "Sending you to the birdcage- that'd be a death sentence. Though I'd argue you deserve it, selling drugs to kids."  
  
"Look, someone wants to feel good, I'm gonna give em' the means, I ain't a hypocrite." Skidmark says, but backs up when I shoot him a glare.  
  
"It'd be a death sentence- and you're right that I don't think I want that on my conscience at the moment. Lucky for you two that I have some ideas on how to keep you out of trouble. Now... the lab. Oh! And you're going to be giving me everything you own."

* * *

It was more or less an car repair place, with some crazy additions. Squealer had made herself some unique tools and gear, and she had large-scale lifts, literal mounds of spare parts, and entire walls decorated with scribbled blueprints. I had her point out the majority of the useful gear, and I began gathering things together. I didn't trust her, of course, so I made sure to check in various other places within the garage- inside out of the way cabinets, at the bottoms and tops of shelves, in drawers with iron padlocks.  
  
Hidden throughout her lab, is, unsurprisingly, a rainbow of different powders, plants, crystals, and liquids in various bags and vials, all of which, I'm sure, are illegal. I gathered them into a pile and destroyed them with a CEP. But, more pleasantly, and more surprising, there's also a large amount of cash, just, lying around. I guess its not really surprising. Why be a gangster at all if doing it didn't make you lots of money? I amass a small fortune as I search through the lab, but really, the most valuable stuff is still her custom tools.  
  
Soon, I had another two toolboxes filled to the brim with Squealer's tools. I'd have to make a few trips for everything else, but with her industrial-strength rigging, I think I'd be able to start making progress on the bigger, fundamental pieces of my future amusement park.  
  
That said, I have the feeling that Squealer isn't the best-equipped tinker around. For one thing, the blueprints on the walls were rough. They were vague, they reminded me a bit of my own journal, so many brilliant glowing-gold ideas swimming around in my head that have to be let out in some way... but her's was worse. My own journal had been scribblings; vague shapes of what I wanted, sketches of the image of a completed product or the parts I'd need to craft. Squealers was... like the drunk recollections of something great. There were far too many dismayed question marks, and blurry half-erased sketches done over and over with a shaky hand. Underneath more than one of the designs were the words "close enough".  
  
It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen.  
  
Don't do drugs kids! Any potential you have as a mad scientist will go right down the crapper.  
  
Deciding I'd have to make several trips to move everything from Squealer's lab to the boat graveyard, I decided to get Squealer and Skidmark squared away for now. I climbed into the seat of the Egg Mobile, and I helped both of them scrabble up into the cockpit with me. There wasn't enough room, so both of them had to uneasily sit on the edges of the cockpit and try to hold on as best they could without use of their hands, and for their benefit, I kept the flight to a relatively slow cruising speed so the wind wouldn't knock them out of the cockpit.  
  
Once we reached the boat graveyard, Skidmark and Squealer were ordered silent as I began constructing the devices I'd need.  
  
I worked for a good two hours, building up the large-size Chaos extractors and attaching them to a hastily-constructed generator. Really, this was kind of an inopportune situation. I hadn't had time to redo the wiring on the boat, and had been planning on building the beginnings of my own lab before looking for a good power source, but I suppose one makes do with what they've been given.  
  
But more than that, I'm struck with an idea.  
  
"Skidmark." I announce, "Come here." the foul-mouthed Merchant reluctantly moved forward, and was looking at me like he was scared.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Tell me about your power."  
  
"What about? I put my hands down, and everything starts moving in one direction. I think its forcefields or shit."  
  
"Hm. How long does a zone last?"  
  
"It doesn't go away unless I want it to."  
  
"Have you ever tried to keep one going while asleep?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Hmm." I take him outside, to a large, flat, strip of metal. "Put down a zone here."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"As strong as you can make it." I order. Allowing him to free one of his hands, he does so, reinforcing it, making the colors glow brighter and brighter, and I can hear the howling of wind as air passes into the zone. I grin, and then lead him back into the boat. "Now, time for the two of you to start making yourselves useful."  
  
The Crabmeats release them, and Skidmark immediately reaches down to try and put down a new zone, to aid in his escape, when Moto Bug tackles him backwards. He falls into the first of the two hot-tub sized extractors, and Squealer screams as Skidmark is engulfed in crackling green energy and his expression freezes in place.  
  
Moto Bug pushes her into the other one, and the screams stop.  
  
Closing the lid on both generators, I watch as the lights inside the old ship light up brightly, and deep below the engine begins to rumble. The massive propellers of the ship had been firmly entrenched in the ground, and I had taken the opportunity to disconnect them from the engine so that the ship doesn't explode trying to turn them. For now, Skidmark and Squealer are powering the useless turning of several large metal rods. But that would change in the future.  
  
Heading back outside, I listened to the howling of Skidmark's still-active zone, and grinned. It didn't vanish, despite its master going into stasis. Already I was imagining great turbines positioned at the edges of the zone. They would have to be made of sturdy stuff, but the wind power produced by the air rushing through the zone alone would make up an excellent source of power for a backup generator. I'd have to eventually free Skidmark to re-position the zone to somewhere more convenient once construction begins in earnest, but it'll do nicely.  
  
Its almost surprising that the two of them never considered that before. Skidmark has the ability to create a perpetual motion machine, with that at her disposal, I'd think that any Tinker would make some use of it, but from what I've seen and read, the most they use their abilities in tandem for is to give her trucks speed boosts, when really, they should have put it to work charging a limitless battery and designing the most powerful electric car of all time.  
  
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter much now.  
  
I spend the next few hours ferrying Squealer's lab to my new headquarters bit by bit. It impresses upon me the need for heavy lifters. I need something capable of lifting great weights, and holding it in place while I work. What I need, of course, is a giant robot. And, lucky enough, I just happen to have large-size Chaos extractors just sitting around waiting for a new home! I should build  _two_  giant robots! The headquarters own electric needs will easily be met by a few turbines in front of Skidmark's zone.  
  
No, no, bad Taylor! Giant robots will have the Protectorate come running.  
  
Something smaller then. Something with oomph, but not big enough to draw unwarranted attention.  
  
I have just the thing in mind!

* * *

 

ARMSMASTER

"Armsmaster, you, of all people, appreciate convenience. Efficiency. So, why is it you keep making complications for me?"

"...It was not intentional, Ma'am." Armsmaster ground out, "The Hebert girl-"

"Robotnik, now." she says, "She introduced herself to the Wards and the Goddamn Mayor by that name. So. What is she?"

"What do you mean? She's a Tinker, one specialized in robotics, or perhaps cyborgs."

"No, I mean, what is she to us, legally? Villain, or rogue?"

"Villain." Armsmaster said, "Even disregarding the assault on myself, property damage to one of our monitor rooms and to our force field projector-"

"By the way, how long will it take for Toybox to send us a replacement?"

"It's not going to happen, unfortunately." he muttered, "The Tinker who sold us our forcefield has left the group. They said they'd try to contact her, but there were no guarantees."

"Hmph. Any chance of you being able to repair it yourself?"

"I've had a look at it, beside it not being my expertise, the machine is a write-off. Integral parts, unique parts, were chewed up and ripped apart by her bug robot. That and, with the majority of the wiring bit through, I'm not even sure which wires were supposed to connect to which nodes. However, I've contacted Dragon about it, and she'll see what she can do."

"I don't like owing her favors."

Armsmaster smiled, "She still owes me one or two. Don't worry about that front. We might very well end up with a better forcefield than before."

"The missile defense system hasn't been touched, though?"

"No. The forcefield generator in particular was targeted." Armsmaster said, "Which takes us back to her villain designation. This was a planned strike meant to cripple the Protectorate. She cannot be allowed to remain loose. She's too dangerous."

Piggot sighed, "From what I see, it was less tying to cripple the Protectorate, and more trying to create an avenue of escape for herself. What did you do to her to make her react this way? She was initially willing to work with you and become a Ward, wasn't she?"

"That was the indication." he muttered, "Although, considering she drew our attention by assaulting one of the Wards, it could be she had chaos planned from the beginning."

Piggot shook her head, "Shadow Stalker did complain that Robotnik recognized her, but she refrained from outing her, and from attacking the Wards. No, based on what other agents who made contact have told me, not to mention the questions her father answered and asked, she was willing initially. What changed?"

"I asked her to disassemble the robot she made to prove her abilities. She refused, and ordered it to attack me."

"And then the rest of the chaos of two days ago occurred." Piggot nodded, "Why would she not want it disassembled?"

"She-" Armsmaster grimaced, "She claimed she didn't want to kill it. Because it was her first real invention. And that there was no way to deactivate it, except violently destroying it. I made to do so, as she didn't wish to, and that was when she attacked."

"...Was it alive?"

"...Perhaps. A live rat was one of the components of the machine. And its AI was complex enough that it could interpret audio-based instructions."

"So, you asked her to kill- lets say the equivalent of a pet. A living thing with sentimental value to her, and then when she refused, you made to do so?"

Armsmaster sighed, "That  _doesn't_  excuse assault."

"No, but it does explain it. The most preferable option is still trying to have her join the Wards. Now that we know what made her feel like she had to escape so desperately, we can prevent the incident from repeating."

"Yes Ma'am."

"I want you to send Kid Win to have a talk to her about joining the Wards. If she seems open to it, we'll have a discussion on how she'll be paying us back for the forcefield and other damages. An additional Tinker is too useful to turn up, especially one with Big Rig's level of ability. We can afford to forgive her, especially considering she's a minor. She made a flying saucer capable of, apparently, according to witnesses, defeating all three of the Merchant's Capes. And she did it without a lab or a penny to her name in under three days. On top of all this, she's still a fifteen year old girl. Adult Tinkers on their own have trouble with getting forcefully recruited. I don't want to hear about the Empire getting another Cape."

"Understood. Might I suggest sending Shadow Stalker with him when he goes to see her?"

"Didn't she get in a fight with Sophia before all this started?"

"Yes, but its also a bad idea in general to send Kid Win to meet her without backup. She wouldn't appreciate a member of the Protectorate or the PRT, based on past experience, but she reacted positively to the Wards, even to Shadow Stalker, who she swears she recognized even with the mask. Shadow Stalker herself has also volunteered to try and get her recruited."

"Hm. Go ahead. Its best she get used to Shadow Stalker and they work out their differences now, regardless of whether she'll end up joining the Wards. The two of them can protect each other."

* * *

ROBOTNIK

His name will be Alpha.

Like many of my ideas, he sprung from the depths of my brain, fully-formed, like Athena from the skull of Zeus. I can just feel the way that he's the first of something great. Just building his framework, inspiration keeps hitting me of how to build even better things to come after. Alpha will be the first of my E-series robots. E, for Elite. They'll knock my other creations out of the water for sure, in terms of AI, durability, mobility, and functionality!

Alpha's main purpose hasn't changed of course. He'll be acting as a support in my larger-scale building. Holding things in place, manipulating extremely large objects, bending and reshaping metal, that sort of thing. Future members of the E-Series I'm thinking of being combined lab assistants and bodyguards, the first and last line of defense for my own safety when within my lab and on the prowl.

I'll of course invest in body armor, personal forcefields, exoskeletons, and backups for my body and mind when I have more resources to throw around, and there are more threats directed at me, but a simple thing such as good bodyguards is a good place to start.

I more-or-less spend the rest of the day working on Alpha, Squealer's rigs set up for large-scale vehicles ending up a lifesaver, and when I'm done for the day, I set the Badniks to patrol the boat graveyard while I sleep. The Egg Mobile taking up position near my bed to alert me if anything happens during the night.

* * *

Morning comes, and I spend about an hour, while eating a breakfast of leftover snack food, making the body of a relatively simple Badnik not too different from the Crabmeats, who I had out and about looking for an appropriate power source. The boat graveyard wasn't as rat-infested as the city, unfortunately. It being mid-January, they tend to stick to areas that are warmer and provide food. The rusted boats are easy shelter for the things, for sure, but not much food going around, not this time of year. I finish eating and start work on Alpha again, and its nearly lunchtime before they come back with something suitable.

I place the rat into the small-size extractor, and my newest Badnik comes to life.

"Gekogeko." I name her- gotta get some more diversity here. She's a battery hunter.

 

She has a very animalistic mind in a way, she's programmed to quickly hunt down animals of the right size, grab them, carry them in her mouth, and deposit them back here at headquarters unharmed. Compared to the Crabmeats, which were originally designed for perimeter defense, she should be much more efficient. She's got a long sticky tongue like any self-respecting frog to aid her in this, and the inside of the mouth chamber is large enough to hold a cat. If I need anything bigger, I'll track down Bitch again, and see if she has any unfortunate lost causes for me to put in stasis.

"Rats please, male and female, adults." I order.

"Gotcha!" she replies, and hops away, quickly vanishing from view. She doesn't have much of a vocabulary- it's almost paradoxically easy to allow my Badniks to understand spoken and written language, but if I want them to be capable of speaking for themselves, I have to record all the words that they need.

A text-to-speech program would be useful, but making one from scratch would involve still recording quite a bit of noises for them to work from. Hmm. "Egg Mobile! Find text-to-speech programs online, and install them in all Badniks."

Egg Mobile, being unable to speak, is unable to confirm my orders, but I trust him.

Taking a short break from working on Alpha, I construct a couple pens in a few of the cleaner rooms on the boat. Some Crabmeats are set on collecting driftwood to make sawdust bedding for them, and then I set out in the Egg Mobile, heading for a pet store. Now that I have money, I can actually just buy what I need!

I consider buying some rats straight from the store, but its really just cheaper to have Gekogeko take from Brockton Bay's natural population. I'm doing my part to fix the vermin problem that way as well.

Although, that doesn't mean I can't buy other things! There are machines that, say, a rabbit might be more suited to powering than a relatively small rat. Or devices that require a smaller power source, such as, say, a hamster, rather than a relatively large rat. And those aren't really creatures that are easy to find just wandering Brockton Bay's sewers and streets. In the end, I'm heading back for headquarters with bags and bags of various rodent feed, water bottles, food bowls, toys, and cages and cages of pets.

The clerks were more than a little concerned, to tell the truth, but I wasn't really doing anything illegal, this time. I mean, technically, sure, you have to be over 18 to buy animals at the petshop, but that's on them for not asking! I'm glad I'm tall for my age. And it helps that I have very impressive facial hair for a girl!

When I get back, Gekogeko is waiting for me, with two squirming rats trapped in her jaw. Setting up my battery enclosures, I have her release them into the prepared area, and then send her back for more.

I admit, I got sidetracked setting up the enclosures and then playing with them for a bit, and I'm only drawn out of my playtime when Moto Bug repeatedly nudges me, to try and get me to follow him. Following his lead, I find myself outside, walking the deck of my headquarters, and seeing a boy in red and gold armor, floating on a hover-board. Behind him, was Sophia Hess.

Oh what now?

 


	8. Fresh END

"SO, my trigger event and a fellow tinker enter my lair! Tell me Kid Win, is it normal for your people to send in the reason for the worst moment of your life?"

Kid Win blinks in surprise, before glancing at Shadow Stalker. "Um."  
  
"Oh, that's bullshit Hebert. You can't shift the blame onto me-"  
  
"Oh! Sorry, Taylor Hebert." I gesture to myself, speaking to Kid Win and ignoring Sophia for now, "Your bosses already know, of course, but don't spread it around anyway. Sophia here has made my life a living hell with a bunch of her friends for quite a while, so of course, despite by beautiful mustache, she recognized me anyway yesterday."  
  
"Wait- she was your trigger event? How does that work?"  
  
"I really would thank you, Sophia, becoming a Tinker has improved my outlook on life immensely! I realized the world is such a brighter place than I thought it was! There's so much possibility, so many unused opportunities to make the world a better place and I plan on taking as many as I can! Things I didn't see until you shoved me into that locker! I would thank you, but considering the fact, you know, you tormented me for over a year and only pushed me in to hurt me, I considered us even! I only joybuzzed you because you broke my glasses. Nothing more, nothing less."  
  
"I didn't push you." she muttered.  
  
"No? I guess it must have been Emma then. You were standing right behind me when it happened, you must have seen who did it, if it wasn't you."  
  
"Why are you- why are you saying all this in front of him!? Look, let's get out of here, she's never going to join the Wards."  
  
I shake my head, smiling, "Yeah, it's not likely going to happen. Bye!"  
  
Kid Win is flabbergasted for a second, before sighing, "Look, I have no idea what went on between the two of you- it's almost certainly Shadow Stalker's fault though."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"I know you're a jerk enough to us. But the thing is, Taylor, the Wards is still the best option available to you. Especially since you're being so- active. Showy."  
  
"Flashy!" I add.  
  
"Yeah, look, gangs, they love Tinkers. Having a Tinker in your gang is like an instant upgrade because that means members who don't have powers can use tools that give them an edge against other regular people. Most Tinkers don't last long on their own, especially younger ones. The Wards- Sophia's a jerk, but it'll be  _safe._ And speaking as a Tinker, having a  _real_  lab, access to good materials, it makes all the difference. I still remember when I had to make things out of scraps. I'd never go back."  
  
I smile more softly now, he seems genuine, as far as I can tell, "Don't worry about a thing, really. I mean- do you want to come inside? Oh, but not you Sophia."  
  
"Not happening. I'm his backup, I'm here to save him when you decide to go psycho and try to make him into a cyborg or some shit."  
  
"Ugh. Fine. But don't touch anything, I've already counted the spoons."  
  
"I would like to, actually." Kid Win said, bringing the hover board down to land, both he and Sophia stepping off it. "I actually don't get the chance to see other Tinker's labs that often. Armsmaster doesn't like it when people mess with his stuff, and there's no other Tinkers at ENE."  
  
"Well, welcome to Robotnikland." I say, ushering them both in. Sophia is on edge, keeping her eyes on the Badniks out and about, and they're keeping an eye on her right back.  
  
I lead the two of them into my main operating theater, where a half-finished Alpha is suspended in Squealer's rigging. "Behold! E dash One Zero Zero Alpha!" I announce, "A work in progress, but once he's done, he'll be of great use in clearing away the boat wrecks, making scrap, and helping to carry heavy stuff around."  
  
Kid Win's eyes are sparkling as he went near, looking it up and down, "It floats?"  
  
"Yep! The same levitation system as my Egg Mobile." upon hearing its name, the vehicle floats closer.  
  
"And you... only started working on all this stuff in the last three days?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
He blinks, and actually looks a bit scared.  **"Dragon**  doesn't work this fast."  
  
I'm a bit floored by that actually as well, "Really? I mean, she goes out in a new suit each time she goes out at all, right? And my stuff is way less complicated."  
  
"Even so... are you sure you won't join the Wards, all of this stuff- imagine what you could do with real resources! How many people you would help."  
  
"I am helping people!" I protest.  
  
"By building an amusement park?"  
  
"Well, I removed the Merchants from the city this morning."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yep! Sent Mush running, and-" hmm. Might not be a good idea to tell the Protectorate that I'm using people as batteries. "-I wrecked Squealer's mecha-truck. She and Skidmark surrendered, and I basically looted everything in her lab. That rigging over there, that's hers. Then I told them to leave the city and never come back. And something tells me that they  _are_  going to take my advice."  
  
"Thats... Just like that?" Kid Win asks, "Well. Either way, the Empire and the ABB, they're much bigger threats, and they're the ones who are more likely to try and recruit you."  
  
"Well, don't worry about it. Every day I'm practically twice as secure as the day before!" I say triumphantly, "Why, four days ago, I only had a joy buzzer. Now, I have a flying machine, three perimeter defense drones, a high-speed pursuit drone, three of the most powerful generators in the city, and with some elbow grease and a few hours of uninterrupted work, I'll have what amounts to a one-man construction crew!" I say proudly, "After that, the sky isn't even the limit! I'll build my park, save the economy of the city, use my growing robot army to banish the gangs from my city, and then, I'll start expanding! A Robotnikland on every continent! An anti-Endbringer fleet of automated airships! Its all, truly, within reach!" I realize that I have my arms thrown up in the air, and I'm out of breath, and both Wards are looking at me like I've grown a second head, slowly backing away.  
  
"Ah, aheh, um. Well! That's all in the future, anyway."  
  
"Well, Robonik, Taylor, this has been great. I uh, hope you reconsider our offer to join the Wards."  
  
"No thanks. Really, but I  _do_  appreciate the sentiment." I say, before gesturing for the door, "If you don't mind, after seeing your hoverboard in action, I've got a renewed enthusiasm for working on Alpha's propulsion system. You can show yourselves out." it goes unsaid that my Badniks will be keeping an eye on them the whole time.  
  
The two of them leave, and I breathe out a silent sigh of relief. That felt  **good.**  I mean, I did want to just let everything from before my rebirth just- stay there. No sense thinking of things that are depressing, but Sophia's continued being an ass afterwards, and if I'm being honest with myself, revenge feels pretty good. Especially since its clear she's an asshole to the local Wards too. I mean, her powers aren't even that useful? She can go through walls, turn incorporeal, sure, okay, fine, thats good for information gathering or assassination or something. Too bad that the Wards, and the Protectorate,  _don't do those things_. I guess its just Sophia's bad luck all the gangs beside the losers are racially divided. The Empire and the ABB wouldn't accept her, and the Merchants just plain sucked.  
  
Oh well! She'll get her just deserts, I'm sure. Now to work on my Alpha!

* * *

* * *

* * *

EMPIRE EIGHTY-EIGHT

"Robotnik, that's a polish name, isn't it?" Hookwolf asked, looking at the morning newspaper. One of the major stories was about how a UFO appearing in front of the Mayor, a tall skinny boy with a ridiculous mustache and way too long hair in a pirate coat ranting to him from inside it, only to be scared away by the arrival of the Wards. An obvious Tinker. A new one, not associated with the Wards, not with the Protectorate, one who could build flying craft.

"Its not a common one." Kaiser said.

"That nose-"

"That isn't a  _real_  trait of jews, Brad," Kaiser said, "At least not to that extent. Besides, the nose is fake. The mustache too. I think its some kind of pirate theme. Captain Brownbeard or some nonsense. A sky pirate? Tacky anyway. When we induct him, we'll come up with something better. I'm thinking... Luftwaffe. Or Eagle."

"His nose is already a  _beak."_ Brad muttered, "The others won't like him much. He doesn't fit the image."

"We'll worry about that later." Kaiser said, "The question right now is finding him. What do we know?"

Krieg stood up a bit, "I've had people putting out feelers, and got back some info from feelers I already had out. This guy robbed one of our front companies, a furniture shop that we used for smuggling. Stole a sofa and a leather chair, took the sofa first, came back for the chair. Going by the picture in the paper, that chair is the one he's sitting on."

"Hm. When was the robbery?"

"Three days ago." Krieg answered, "And he wasn't flying then. He had some big metal box, pulled by a beetle-shaped robot with a tire."

"Not limited to aircraft then. Vehicles in general?" Kaiser asked.

"That's exactly what Brockton Bay needs, a second Squealer." Hookwolf said sarcastically, "Too bad this one doesn't have a rack."

"Wait, three days ago. That's when the forcefield went down around the Rig as well, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Krieg said, "The robbery happened a few hours later."

"You don't think they're related, do you?" Hookwolf asked.

"I'll have people look into it." Krieg said.

"I think I'll handle the recruitment speech myself." Kaiser said, "If we can get him willingly on our side, all the better, if we have to do some persuading first- well, I'll leave him in a better condition to work than you would, Brad."

* * *

AZN BAD BOYS

"The forcefield is down! This is our chance to hit them big, and hit them hard!"

"Silence." Lung ordered, the woman in front of him raised her hand and opened her mouth to shout more, when she was silenced by a growl from him. "If we attack the Rig now, its like saying the only reason we didn't before is because the forcefield was too strong for us. We'd appear weak."

"But this is our best opportunity." she said, more calmly this time, "I already have preparations to blow half the city to hell if we need to. We could destroy the Rig while we were at it- cripple the Protectorate, blast away the Empire, leave the Merchants to scavenge and then take them out with the second wave."

"And call down the Triumvirate on our heads?" Lung asked, smiling, "It might be interesting..."

"The Triumvirate- can you handle them?"

"Don't ask stupid questions."


	9. Incubation 2.1

Ah! Perfect!  
  
"Awaken, E-100 Alpha! Awaken!"  
  
The red eyes blazed to life in my invention, the first of my thinking robot line. The largest of my purchased rabbits serving as his generator. I considered going to Rachel for another dog, but it seemed too soon to encroach on her hospitality so soon after I took one of her dogs away.  
  
Besides, it was more than enough. The first of my E-Series robots looked around, before attempting to speak.  
  
" _Hello Robotnik_." it said in an even, emotionless tone. I really would like to make a proper voicebox, give them a way to show real personality, but just the recording process alone would take a long time! And if what Kid Win told me was right, my edge on other Tinkers is how fast I work!  
  
"Hello Alpha! Welcome to the world! What do you think?"  
  
" _I am ready to serve. What are your orders_?"  
  
"No, no, no! Get a bit philosophical, you're the first of my creations able to talk back to me! I want a proper conversation!"  
  
The robot was silent for a short time, before finally saying " _I would prefer to be called Zero._ "  
  
"Zero it is! Any reason why?"  
  
" _The other Badniks have made me aware that when designing me you hit upon inspiration for better robots. I am a hardy tool, they will be precision instruments._ " they continued, " _My designation number reflects this. I am not E-1. But rather, E-100."_  
  
"It sounds nicer."  
  
" _Correct._ " they agreed, " _Will the unit that follows me be E-200 or E-101?"_  
  
"E-101."  
  
" _Then we are both aware that I am the Zeroth iteration of the E-Series. I feel that the name 'Zero' is more reflective of that identity than 'Alpha' which would signify that I am both first and greatest among my future siblings._ "  
  
I have to wipe a tear from my eye, "You do Momma proud!" I announce, "I bet when it comes to AI's, I'm better than Dragon as well! Very well, Zero! Let's get things underway!" I grin, pointing towards the downed ship around us, "As you can see, our current base of operations is a crappy rusted ship! I want to build something better, something bigger! The heart upon which Robotnikland is constructed around!" I turn my eyes upon the expanse of the boat graveyard, "And we've got all this raw material, and now, thank to you, Zero, I have someone to do the very necessary heavy lifting!"   
  
" _Affirmative._ "

* * *

"Okay, and now... lift!"   
  
Zero takes hold of the massive metal wall, pulling it upwards from the frame of the ship. Crabmeats Three and Four are crawling around inside it, taking out support pieces. Zero holds the section in place, and I use the Egg Mobile's laser to make cuts, then Zero lifts it off.   
  
We went through the insides of the ship, and gathered anything that looked useful. I had pipes and boilers disconnected and lugged outside, massive amounts of electrical wiring strung away from the walls. Iron bars that used to make up shelves and support structures. Levers, locks, hinges, pistons. The metal sheets that made up walls and floors were peeled away to be put to use elsewhere. The kitchen was more-or-less cleaned out, and what's left rusted to shit, but I'm sure there's stuff to salvage from it! There are literally hundreds of metal cargo containers, big bus-sized ones, that I'm sure will come in handy.   
  
The process was fun, but quite time-consuming. The disassembly was a mix of robots holding things in place, blasting away obstacles, and then me going in to do the more delicate disconnecting of parts and pieces. We spent hours and hours doing it already, and the only thing telling me I should stop was the sad and furious growling of my empty stomach. Stupid organic body.   
  
Right now, Zero is peeling the ship of part of its outer wall in a section we've more-or-less cleared out of anything we wanted. We'll be using the giant curved sheets of steel on top of each other as a giant sled, with which to pull closer to our own current base. I had us start with a ship that was farther away, as I wasn't sure yet whether it would be better to start inward and work outwards, or the opposite, when it came to disassembling and scavenging all the ships here.   
  
So, starting with one not too far away, but not too close either, and one that wasn't partially submerged in the bay.   
  
This was interrupted however, by the Police.   
  
"Attention Robotnik." shouted a man through the megaphone.   
  
"Attention received!" I shout down, "Um, Zero, just- can you hold that in place, or should we finish up cutting it before...?"  
  
" _Capable of holding in place._ "  
  
"Alright then, let me know if the situation changes." I have the Egg Mobile turn around and approach the police, "Yes?" Now that I'm level with the ground, I can see that there's a few PRT people staying near the back, with containment foam launchers at the ready, and following me as I drift down with my vehicle.   
  
"We received a report of someone using tinker-made heavy machinery to damage the boats moored here. This is both trespassing, and the destruction of private property."  
  
"Ugh!" I complain, "Seriously? How come you haven't come to arrest the other squatters around here, hm? As for the whole 'private property' thing, come on! No one was ever going to use it, whatever company owned it has taken the merchandise inside elsewhere, I'm just... recycling it! Honestly, I'm doing this city a  _service!"_  
  
"Be that as it may, it's still against the law."  
  
"Am I under arrest?"  
  
"...We'd like you to stop, and vacate Lord's Port. Seeing as how this is all Cape-related stuff... any damages will probably-"  
  
"Well I'm not going to stop. And I'm also not hurting anyone." I say, crossing my arms, "And either you all are going to enforce your will with those foam guns- which will not work, and I will consider an attack, or you're going to walk away and let me make Brockton Bay a better place, one eye-sore rusted ship no one's touched in a decade at a time."  
  
The policeman in charge seemed to look at a nearby PRT man, "Just... one second."  
  
"I don't have all day you know? I haven't even eaten yet today!"  
  
The policeman and the PRT agent discuss some things quietly, while the rest of the people watch me nervously, honestly, this took some balls. I'm surprised regular police were even willing to come in, but I suppose the PRT doesn't want to interfere unless I'm doing something genuinely heinous.   
  
"Let sleeping dogs lie, is what the director says. If she's not hurting anyone, it's best not to instigate a fight with a Parahuman." the PRT agent says, intentionally, I believe, to be loud enough for me to hear.   
  
I grin, before shrugging, "Well, thank you for stopping by! Come back in, oh, I don't know, a few months time? I'll give everyone here a free ticket to Robotnikland. The Lord's Port Amazing Mechanical Amusement Park!"   
  
"We can't just...  _ignore_  this." the officer in charge said. I sighed.  
  
"...Fine! I promise I'll look into the ship I've dismantled, and this ship, and figure out who owns them, and then buy them, happy?" I ask, "In fact, I'll be doing much the same for all the ships here."  
  
"Then you'll stop until you have the proper paperwork?"  
  
"I need a lunch break anyway." I allowed.

* * *

I ended up eating at Fugly Bob's. It was more-or-less uneventful. I rode Motobug there, and the staff didn't feel like making an issue of it. I filled my belly, ordered a few more meals to-go for later, and then headed back to my new base.  
  
I  _ **suppose**_  I'll look into the legal stuff tonight via the internet. Honestly, the owners, whoever they are, have let the boats just rust into nothing here. How much can they really want for them? And if they're too expensive, well, let's just see the police try to stop me.   
  
I won't start a fight with the city if they city doesn't want to fight me, but if they're a nuisance... well, I'll make it known the Boat Graveyard is  _Robotnik's,_  one way or another.

* * *

* * *

* * *

KAISER

Kaiser honestly didn't know much about the newcomer in town, but his people had eyes everywhere, and filled in the details. 

Robotnik was apparently a girl, about Rune's age. That had its own set of benefits and drawbacks. For one, girls tended to be easier for him to control, and it would do for Rune to have friends her own age who worked on both sides of her identity. On the other side, teenagers were inherently frustrating and unpredictable, and were prone to occasional meaningless rebellion. 

He could deal such things, easily, but they were still irritating. 

She lived alone, homeless, at first in the shithole part of town, squatting in a condemned building, and now in the Boat Graveyard, squatting in an abandoned ship. She was described as almost constantly giddy, loud, and prone to bragging. Irritating character traits, especially in a rookie. She created a flying device, and a single-wheeled vehicle, but others had seen robotic animals occasionally in the poorer part of town and areas near the Boat Graveyard. 

He was a bit, only slightly, nervous to be in this part of town. Not much real business happened in the Boat Graveyard, and graffiti of every kind, including tags from every gang in the city, decorated many of the junkyard's features, but most agreed that if the territory belonged to anyone, it was the ABB. He tended to stay out of their territory, unless he wanted a fight. 

But it would be worth it, to secure a Tinker for their cause. 

The car stopped nearby, and he and his men climbed out. "Alabaster, make sure no nearby trash get any ideas about my car. Krieg, Rune, you're with me." 

"Yes sir." all three subordinates replied.

He had created his helmet before getting out, and now, completed the rest of his set. "Which ship has she been sleeping in?" he asked. 

"Further in, near the middle of the junkyard." Krieg supplied, turning his nose at the area. Beach turned to swamp, really. It was difficult to look regal walking around here. 

Kaiser sliced his way through police tape without a thought, continuing forwards into the Boat Graveyard. Eventually, both could see that one ship had power, and rumbled quietly in place. Seeing the makeshift door that had been cut into one side, and the massive pile of salvaged junk laid around its base, he could tell that this was the place. 

"Robotnik!" he shouted. No reply.

"Is she even here?" Rune asked.

"She was an hour ago." Krieg said, "The police were trying to get her to stop tearing up a different ship, but the PRT eventually decided it was more trouble than it was worth, for now."

"Hm." Kaiser walked forwards, "We'll wait for her. This might be a blessing in disguise. When she returns, and finds us standing proud within her own sanctum, it'll put her on the back-foot."

"Normally," Krieg said, "But she's not our usual fare, she's a Tinker. Who knows what kinds of traps and security system she has set up?"

"I could send a boulder in first, roll it around, trigger everything first before we head in?" Rune offered. 

"Hopefully that would also send her a message to return home faster." Kaiser said, "Very well." 

Rune picked up one of the larger bits of scrap metal from her pile, and moved it in front of the group. Kaiser did a few tricks, evening out the metal, increasing its mass, making it more of a ball and less of a sheet. 

The metal boulder rumbled into the ship, and the three villains followed in afterwards. 

" _Halt._ "

"What the fuck." Rune said, jumping, despite herself, at the sudden monotone voice. The sound of devices activating filling the echoing halls of the rusted ship. There was a sudden clattering of clicking sounds, and Kaiser turned on his heel. 

The inside of the ship, as connected to the walk-in entrance, was a kind of looping, somewhat skinny tunnel. Their ball of metal would of course trigger any traps first, but it also meant they couldn't enter in that way. 

Kaiser saw the two red crab robots appear suddenly on the other side of the hall, blocking the way to the entrance- and their exit. The other direction, from which the robotic voice had come, was blocked by the ball. 

However, Kaiser wasn't worried. The crabs moved closer, snapping their claws threateningly. He lifted a hand, intending to spear them both, when an explosion behind him caught his attention. 

The giant metal ball that Rune had been controlling had apparently hit a trap- and was gone, so much slag, splattered across the floor, ceiling, and wall around it. 

Floating at the other end of the hall was the vehicle, with no driver, floating on its own, the jewel on its front steaming slightly. 

" _You have been warned. Robotnik is not here at the moment, but this place is defended. Leave, or we will resort to lethal force._ "

"I am Kaiser, of the Empire Eighty-Eight. I wish to meet with Robotnik."

" _Wait outside._ "

"Kaiser does not 'wait outside'." he challenged. 

The crabs moved back, allowing them access to the exit. " _You have been warned. Exit the ship-_ " it stopped, suddenly, the voice changed, "If you could hand me over, Zero?  _I have begun broadcasting._ Oh! Wonderful!" the voice was definitely feminine, now. "Am I addressing Kaiser?"

"You are." Kaiser said, "Where are you?"

"I was having a late lunch, but I'm heading back now. You haven't hurt any of my babies, have you?"

"Babies?" Kaiser asked, glancing at the robots, "Your tinkertech robots?"

"Yes! My babies! No. Okay, you haven't, that's good. We'd have a problem, if you did. I'll be outside in ten seconds." the broadcast cut out with a muffling sound, and the robot's voice returned, speaking from somewhere behind the vehicle. " _She is outside._ "

Kaiser narrowed his eyes, before turning and marching outside, "Follow." he stepped out into the sunlight, as majestically as he could, and beheld the somewhat filthy, tall, terribly skinny girl in a pirate's outfit and a fake nose and mustache. 

Rune let out a small giggle, that was silenced from a glare from her two superiors. "Robotnik, I presume?" Kaiser asked. 

* * *

"You presume correctly!" I say, grinning wide, but inside, I'm freaking out a bit. Honestly, Rune and Krieg, from what I know of their powers, would be easy pickings. But Kaiser in particular...

He could make spikes and such grow from metal, reshape it.

There would be nothing to stop him from killing my babies with a thought, twisting them from the inside and forcing them to self-destruct. 

I had no real idea of his range, or his limitations. So! Baby gloves with this guy. And if I saw my opportunity- well, my first instinct is to simply blow him up. He was a bad guy. A Capital-E Evil dickbag. A freaking Nazi. I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty, really. But he was also in charge of a bunch of other Nazis, and that might bring them all on top of me at once. 

But could I blow them  _all_  up?

Or maybe I should just try to cooperate, see if there's some way I can just make them leave me alone, for now. 

What to do, what to do?

"I can see you're quite the skilled Tinker, you've done quite well with the resources available to you." he said, praising me, his voice smarmy and thick with condescension. Oh, he sounded charming enough, but everything about his body language just exuded 'I'm better than everyone and I know it'. 

"Why thank you!" I say, "But I just  _bet_  that you Neo-Nazis have so many more resources at their disposal, eh?" I snap my fingers, and all three jump as the Egg Mobile and Zero, who had been quietly making their way to the top of the boat, off the deck, and into the air, suddenly drop  _almost_  to the ground, kicking up a sudden  _whoomph_  of sound and sand from the beach. "Why, I managed to create Zero and Egg Mobile here with some scraps and a few stolen tools!" I threw my hands up in the air, grinning widely, "Oh ho ho ho ho!"

All three look a bit unnerved, but Kaiser continues, unabashed, "You've gotten it in one. I'd like to recruit you. The Empire is the last bastion of order in this city, we have money, tools, connections-"

"An infinite supply of metal." I gesture to him. 

**"Yes."**  he almost growls out, annoyed at the interruption, "That too. As you can see, the Empire can provide you with opportunity to do some  _real_ tinkering. You'd have to be foolish, to turn down this offer."


	10. Incubation 2.2

"...Very well. But I have some delicate" I mime an explosion with my hands "work-in-progress going on here right now, I'll just finish up, and then I'll join your Empire. Shouldn't take more than two days or so."  
  
Kaiser narrows his eyes, not exactly appreciating my attitude. "...Very well." he looked to the side, "Rune."  
  
"Yes boss?"  
  
"You're to keep an eye on her." Agh!  
  
I don't allow the displeasure to show on my face, "Oh? I've been meaning to find a lab assistant!" I grin maniacally, and the smile actually becomes a bit genuine when I see the girl take an instinctive step back., "You're telekinetic right?! The possibilities that allows..."  
  
"Kaiser-" Rune begins, before hesitating, "-what about school? And my regular duties?"  
  
He looked between us, "Well, I don't see any issues. You're the same age aren't you?"  
  
"Ah, I don't go to school any more." I said, "I almost electrocuted someone."  
  
"Of... course you did." he said, dryly, "Listen... Robotnik, you've made the right choice here today, and I know better than to let a Tinker's project run its course out of control, but I also know better than to let you go unseen. If you try to run, or you turn on Rune, the Empire will be a phone call away." he said, nodding to her, "And if you are being truly genuine, as I hope you are, and as you'd better be, you two should get to know each other. You'll be working together in the future." he glares down at us, "Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes." Rune says, quietly.  
  
"Robotnik?" Kaiser asks, his tone a bit warning. Yeesh.  
  
"Sure, sure."  
  
"Good. You're  _meant_  to be a part of the Empire, Robotnik, and things will go so much smoother because you've realized that." he says with a chilled smile, before turning and leaving. Krieg eyed the two of us, before giving me a small nod of acknowledgement.  
  
"...So..." Rune says, as we watch them leave.  
  
"Well, let's go inside. I'll show you the facilities." I say, with a swish of my hands.  
  
"You shouldn't talk to Kaiser like that, you know."  
  
"Like what?" I ask, looking ahead.  
  
"So flippantly. Like you're not treating him seriously. People get scars that way. Or end up dead." she warns.  
  
"Charming of him." I say dryly, "Well, I'd better give you the tour of the facilities."  
  
"Should... shouldn't you check up on the thing that's going to explode first?"  
  
"Don't worry, the experimental generators are the first things I'll show you!" I say, grinning evilly. Let's see... the average weight for a teenage girl is about 140 pounds, right? Hm. Too big for E-101 Beta. Oh well. I had been hoping to knock two birds with one stone.  
  
But then again... If Beta were  _larger..._

 

* * *

She was quite easy to fool, honestly. She expected a big, rumbling, device. So I just took her to the ship's real generator. An inefficient oil-guzzling monstrosity that I had disconnected to replace with Skidmark and Squealer's Chaos Extractors.  
  
I had salvaged a good few parts from the thing, which left it in a somewhat dismantled appearance. Inside the engine room, one could hear the rumbling of the uselessly spinning propeller rods, which vibrated everything slightly. When I had Rune distracted along the way, I whispered for a Crabmeat to crawl inside the thing, and light up his Chaos Energy Packet launchers, giving the thing an alien green glow from its depths.  
  
It looked like a big, half-finished, glowing engine. Which is exactly what it was.  
  
"Now, I had been gathering and salvaging parts from the ships nearby in order to build one of the stabilizing components I need. I was originally going to just have Zero ferry it in, but I think you could do just as good of a job, eh?" I set her to the task of ferrying the huge piles of salvaged materials I had ripped from the other ships, and lifting it up to the deck of my headquarters, where Zero or I can easily sort out what I need and take it directly to the lab.  
  
While she was busy doing that, I had a few moments to myself to think things through.  
  
I had created a deadline for myself to delay the inevitable. While I was fairly sure if it came down to lethal force, with just the Egg Mobile, Zero, the Crabmeats and Moto Bug, I could carve chunks out of a good number of the E88, there were other members that I just wasn't equipped to handle right now. And that said; I'm not quite at the point where I'll start killing people yet, which means that due to me holding back, a large number of the other E88 suddenly become problems, including Rune.  
  
How do I fix this problem?  
  
My first thought of making Rune into a battery for E-101 Beta to get her out of my hair is  _probably_  not the best idea. Rune's a teenage girl, even if she is a Nazi villain. People look for teenage girls when they suddenly disappear, in a way that people don't look for middle-aged supervillains. It was  _believable,_  for Skidmark and Squealer to get spooked enough to leave town and not come back. Whatever their secret identities, if they even bothered with that, were, they were probably middle-aged drug addicts too. The only people doing the looking are probably Merchants, and I'm not expecting them to have much in terms of detective skills.  
  
But if I make Rune vanish, suddenly  _police_  will be looking for a missing girl- even if she goes to  _Winslow,_  it'd happen. And worse, the E88 will be looking for the person they left in charge of me. Even if I get the E88 off my back in the short-term, they'd eventually assume I killed her, and look for  **real**  vengeance.  
  
No, no, I need Rune out of the way, but not dead. Not a battery either.  
  
As I consider the possibilities, I begin work on Beta's frame. No matter how things go, it's unlikely that it won't end with a fight. I need all the backup I can get-  
  
OH!

* * *

"This is Robotnik." I say, recording a message. "The Empire 88 has approached me for recruitment! As flattered as I am, I have no intention of going along with them, but they likely have no intention of accepting a denial. I've delayed them with a bluff to give myself time to prepare. Within two days, they'll arrive in the Boat Graveyard to take me. I'd like to remind you that them taking me would be a bad thing for everyone involved! Either they're successful, and the Empire has access to the same technology that let me bypass all your defenses, or they aren't, at which point it'll be open war between the Empire and me. Which is something I'd prefer not to deal with thank you very much! I don't know... when,  _exactly,_  they'll show up. But they have left Rune with me to make sure I don't skip town. If you can get some Protectorate to play bodyguard tomorrow, I can giftwrap Rune for you, guaranteed, and offer to fix anything I've broken on the Rig."  
  
Hm... anything else?  
  
"Just because I'm asking for help doesn't mean that I've changed my mind about joining the Protectorate or the Wards! I'm just, you know, one hero asking another for backup."  
  
Geko Geko chirps to signify she's made the recording, and hops away to deliver the message directly to a member of the Protectorate. Her hunting program, rather than being set to "Sea Gull" or "Rat" is now set to "Superhero". God speed, you mechanical frog you.

* * *

"Don't you have anything  _good_  to eat?" Rune complains as she makes increasingly annoying noises in the swivel chair I so generously salvaged for her. Its been about three hours since Rune got here, and my patience is wearing thin.  
  
"Rune I swear I  _will_  disintegrate you." I growl, my eye twitching. The Egg Mobile seems to perk up a bit, "I'm not serious, don't point the CEP Launcher at teenagers." I tell the vehicle, who backs off. "If you're unsatisfied with fast-food leftovers, you're free to order out. There should be a good Chinese place nearby- wait, are Nazi's even allowed to order Chinese?" I sneer. E-101 Beta is coming along fine and dandy. Not having to spend time mucking around making wiring or computer components means progress is going pretty good. Still, I'll need a good few more hours on him. Rune still hasn't picked up on anything, I don't think, but it's a bit annoying to have to keep checking on the dismantled engine to re-calibrate things and check for 'building pressure' and 'kinetic doubling down' and 'positron reinforcement becoming unstable'. I'm going to run out of techno-babble pretty soon.  
  
"Look, no one will care if you're a bitch around me. But when you're around Kaiser, don't joke about that shit, okay?" she threatens, "Or any of the lieutenants really. If they think you're going to have discipline issues, they'll come down hard on you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." I mutter, "But then, it's not like I really have a choice here." I say. "I'll be good, when they've got their eyes on me." I lie.  
  
"Well of course you don't have a choice. But honestly, we  _are_  the best around. Beside just being the best people, we're also the best team. The ABB's capes are all psychopaths and wouldn't accept you anyway, the Merchants are all living trash, you're not a  _freak,_  so Faultline wouldn't want you,-" ooh! I  _forgot_  about her. Mercenary work... might be a good way to pay bills. Possibly. "-and after that stunt you pulled at City Hall, the PRT wouldn't let you out of their sight ever again, no privacy, no power use without permission ever again. You're  _lucky,_  that the Empire wants you."  
  
Blah blah blah blah BLAH!  
  
Hmm. Parts of Beta still need to cool before I begin the next set of steps, and some of the weapon modifications I thought up and began don't  _feel right_ , when connected to him. "Sure, whatever, Rune. Lucky to have me." I grin, "Well, I'll need to let some of this cool before I can attach it to the Robot Generator." the name for the oh-so menacing rumbling glowing  _harmless_  engine. "So if you're so damn hungry, let's go out somewhere."  
  
"The Robot Generator won't explode?" she asks, worried.  
  
"It's stable enough for the next... three or four hours, I think. By then I'll have to have this-" I gesture to Beta's frame, "-complete, or it  _will_  go up though. Come on, we can buy parts and food." I slip the ill-fitting weapon prototypes into my purse. I'll work on it along the way.  
  
"Are we going out in costume?"  
  
"Hmm... good point." I say, before heading for where the clothes I had been brought to the Rig in were. She turns her nose up at them, and I sigh. She had a point here, at least. "And some clothes shopping I suppose. What about you?" I ask.  
  
"I'm wearing regular clothes underneath my costume."  
  
Very well then.

* * *

"So what do I call you out of costume?" she asks. We were both wearing tinted-lens goggles to hide our identity from each other, but otherwise out of costume. We were also walking, because we didn't want to draw attention by riding my wonderful robots. Luckily, the Market was actually fairly close to the Boat Graveyard.  
  
"Call me Robbie."  
  
"That's not a girl's name."  
  
"Take it or leave it."  
  
We got food, bought myself a few more sets of clothes, and I resolved to build a washing machine for the base at some point. We also stopped by a tech store and I bought a few laptop computers and a cell phone.  
  
Even as we walked, I used one of the phones to begin writing programming in preparation for home. I sent a whispered message to Zero to get the proper supplies for me to build a small Chaos Extractor ready and waiting for me when I head home.  
  
I quickly returned to my work, dismantling the tech I bought, ripping it to shreds and working both on Beta, and also on my other tool, one that will be more  _immediately_  useful. Three weapons, a personal computer, a phone, a music player, a radio, and a device with which to write programs and coordinate my machines.

The Wrist Controller's three weapons are as follows: a small-scale precision CEP launcher, a containment ray, and a teleport ray. The containment ray imprisons my target in a force-field bubble that holds them in place. I can then use the beam to switch their location to anywhere I wish, lifting them into the air up to two-hundred feet, or pushing them away the same distance. The weakness of the ray however is that I can only create one containment field at a time, and the farther I get away from it, the more fragile and unstable the bubble becomes.  
  
The teleport ray is a tool of convenience. I have a target position already set, a point in the air inside the cargo bay of my headquarters. I'll eventually build a robot whose main job will be making sure that anything I teleport to that point is immediately pulled away and the area cleared, so as to avoid telefragging. Either way, the point is a bit of ways in the air, so it'll drop nearly six feet to the ground. As long as she doesn't teleport anything taller than that, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.  
  
Actually... I haven't tried to use it on a living subject yet.  
  
Rune was back in the swivel chair, looking at her phone. "Rune." I say, "I think I'm about ready to move things down to the Robot Generator's room."  
  
She perks up at that, putting her phone away. "So we'll be safe?"  
  
"Sure thing." I grin, "Zero, my boy, could you take this to the enclosures? One large lagomorpha in the extractor should have it working fine."  
  
 _"Of course."_ he picked up the frame of his younger brother, taking him to the petting zoo to be activated. Rune doesn't seem suspicious.  
  
Rune looks relieved, "Does this mean we can go to the Empire now?"  
  
"Hmmm... about that." Rune narrows her eyes, and reaches out to a pile of scrap, and seemingly idly, lifts a few pieces and has them slowly orbit her.  
  
"What about it? Your Generator thing is going to be fine now, so we should get out of this dump and go join up with Kaiser, right?" she lifts up her cell phone.  
  
"Look, the Empire wants a Tinker, right? They'll get a Tinker. But as I'm sure our... pleasant day together has proven, I'm not a racist, or a misogynist, or antisemitic, and I don't have any deep resentments of foreigners or perceived foreigners! Not to mention my attitude problem with authority figures in general. Kaiser would hate me. And I already hate him!" I say grinning, "But, as you've all made very clear to me, that doesn't matter."  
  
I gesture to the wreck around me, "Look, Rune, me and the Empire are a bad fit. I just want to be- what was the word, a Rogue. But! If I don't go willingly, you'll just come and force me, right? You have the means to force Tinkers to do your bidding?"  
  
"R-right."  
  
"Right!" I continue, "So! What if I told you where you could find Squealer?"  
  
"If we wanted Squealer we could have just  _taken_  her."  
  
"Ah. Hm. Oh well then." I shoot Rune with the Containment Ray. "Let's go on a little trip."  
  
The metal shards fly at me, but a quick jerk of my hand has Rune swinging through the air like a pendulum, throwing her aim off. I tap a few numbers on my Wrist Controller, "Hello, PRT? Yes, I have a supervillain to hand in. Rune of the Empire 88. We're at Lord's Port. Tell the Protectorate that I'd be extremely grateful if they could help me in any way in dealing with them."  
  
"Are you a Cape yourself?" asks the woman on the other end of the line.  
  
"Yes, my name is Robotnik."  
  
"We'll arrange a PRT pick-up for Rune. Unfortunately, I can't promise anything in regards to the Protectorate."  
  
"Okay?"  
  
"Considering the entire Protectorate is currently battling Lung and the ABB on the Rig."  
  
"Oh. Well, that's fair."  
  
Hm.


	11. Sidestory: & Knuckles

_January_  
  
It wrenched open the locker, and caught me when I tumbled out, even if it dropped me right after and let out an audible "Eeuggh!"  
  
"Oof!"  
  
"Ah- crap. Sorry, just- hm." the creature- its definitely not human, whatever it is, circles me, considering things, as it idly shakes one of its over-sized glove-clad hands. "Ah, whatever!" he lifts me up, and begins running.  
  
"What's going on?" I ask, shocked, "Who are you, where are we going?"  
  
"To the gym locker room." he replies, "First things first, you need different clothes, and a shower. Immediately." he says, before grimacing down at himself, "I need one too."  
  
I feel a bit more relieved, and once I'm actually under the at least somewhat warm spray of water, I feel human again. The creature- my savior, whoever he is. Agh! Case 53, that's it. No wonder he helped me, he's probably a new Ward. Though I have no idea what he's doing  _here._ This is Winslow.  
  
In the girl's gym locker room.  
  
I suddenly become a bit self-conscious, but, considering he might have just saved my life- I glance over to him, and he's not looking my way, focusing on rubbing the gunk out of his gloves. -I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Either way, even though I don't feel completely clean, I get out of the water.  
  
And he's gone.

* * *

It's almost a week before anything else strange happens. The police were called, I was investigated. As soon as I mention the Case 53 who saved me, the PRT suddenly becomes  _very_  interested. There's a bit of investigation into who shoved me in, of course, but I know how these things go. It's already on record that I have repeatedly "falsely accused" the trio for their various bitchy acts of hatred, so I don't bother. Mainly, they ask questions about him.  
  
I tell them everything I know, which isn't much. They pester me about him for a few days, but considering how little I actually know, they probably would have assumed I had made him up if it wasn't for the fact that even a glance at the locker shows that  _something_  pushed its fingers into the metal and tore it from its hinges from the outside, ripping the lock out with it.  
  
As it is, things calm down.  
  
I stay home from school for three days and come back on Friday. I avoid the girls as best I can, and get the number for my new locker from the office. I pointedly don't go near it when other people are in sight. Hopefully, if they don't know which is mine, they can't mess with it.  
  
My hopes hadn't been answered, however, as when I do go looking for it, at lunch, I see Sophia and Emma talking to each other, wrapped up in their own conversation. Along with three of their hangers-on. It might be that they just happened to be hanging out, that they don't know this is supposed to be my locker, but when one of the hangers-on finishes writing something in a card, she hands it to Sophia, who slips it in through the space on the top without thinking.  
  
Rage boils inside of me. Not even one week, after their last big 'prank', and they're already being assholes again. I consider just not bringing anything of importance with me to school. They steal my backpack so often, deface my books, anything I carry on me. The locker used to be my defense. Things I left in there would be safe. But not any more.  
  
Nowhere at this school was safe for anything of mine.  
  
"HEY!" I startle in surprise, the masculine voice coming from behind me. I whip my head around, and stare in shock at the Case 53, who actually isn't looking at me. He stomps past my hiding place, standing in the center of the hall where they can all see him. He narrows his eyes, glaring at them. "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"  
  
The girls are deathly quiet. Until Sophia, ever fearless, walks forward. "What the hell do  **you**  think you're doing? This is a public school, and I don't see your visitor pass. Get out of here before I call the cops. A freak like you, they'll probably have the Protectorate come and beat your ass too."  
  
The red creature, about three and a half feet tall, bristles up, the long dreadlock-like things on his head raising up in aggression. His fists clench. His oversized feet are planted firmly in the ground in front of him. "I asked you a question. What were you doing, just now? Writing get-well letters?"  
  
"It's none of your fucking business, freak." she pulled up her cellphone, and made a show of typing in 9 1 1. "Now leave, before I call the cops."  
  
He drops into a crouch, before- well, it's like the center of his chest becomes his new center of gravity. He begins spinning like a wheel, faster and faster, until I can't make out features, just a red blur.  
  
"MOVE!" Sophia shouts, shoving girls to the side, as the Case 53 suddenly  ** _launched_**  himself down the hall like a meteorite!  
  
He comes to a screeching- literally, he stopped spinning and righted himself mid-air before digging his feet into the ground to slow himself down -halt in the middle of where they were clustered before. He then turned towards the locker, and  _punched_  it. The entire row shuddered with the impact. The locker door swung open, luckily still on its hinges, and dozens of white cards poured out. I can't see them from here, but the Case 53 can, and he grimaces, before rounding on them. "Get the heck out of here, before I teach you a lesson!" the girls begin screaming, running. A few of them are heading my way, so I dart into an open classroom and press myself against the wall. I don't want to be implicated in any of this right now.  
  
I wait there, until the lockdown alarm begins sounding. I decide to just remain where I am, and let everything blow over.  
  
I stick with the story that I had been heading towards my locker when I heard the lockdown alarm, and jumped into the nearest empty room and closed the door. I don't mention having seen the red Case 53, letting the other girls tell their version of the story.  
  
And boy, was that delicious.  
  
They had to explain why there were in front of my locker, of course, and who had been writing all the hateful messages.  
  
Emma and Sophia themselves managed to either shift, or convince the other girls to take the brunt of the blame, but hopefully it'll act as a bit of proof on my side, should I ever try to convince anyone of the truth, again.

* * *

 _February_  
  
The current theory is that he's not a Case 53, but rather one of those Capes who can transform into something else, or some kind of monster summoned by a Cape. That the mystery Cape is someone who goes to this school.  
  
The PHO boards are calling him the Red Menace. Its a simple, boring, name. But something that caught on. And it wasn't like it wasn't true. He was, very clearly, red. The cell phone photos and witness accounts all attest to that. And he was a menace. The school and the Protectorate thought so, anyway.  
  
But I think he's a hero. Maybe not the capital-H hero, if he was, he'd be out there fighting the gangs, rather than in here fighting the cliques. But he's definitely a little-h hero. Whenever the bitches do something especially hateful, he's suddenly there, shouting at people, threatening them- he hasn't hurt anyone, but the adults  _don't_  like it. A lot of the kids don't either.  
  
The Protectorate arrived, during one of his more public rants, and he simply gestured at the girls, shouted, "They're the real jerks you should be arresting!" before fleeing. He was out of their sight for such a short time, but it was enough to get away completely.  
  
I was worried that he was a stalker. Stalking  _me._  After all, it was when Emma and Sophia were tormenting me in particular that he appeared most often. Although, I did see him go after them when they were being particularly nasty to other people, so the more likely answer was that as their worst-treated victim, I was the one he rescued the most.  
  
As the school became more wary of him, Sophia began backing off from the bullying, before being pulled from classes entirely. She wasn't the first for it to happen to. Parents didn't like the idea of an unknown, out of protectorate control, parahuman willing to jump at regular humans in their children's school.  
  
Emma however, took Sophia's dropping out hard. She tried twice as hard, but it was bearable. She had broken out so many insults in the time since she first betrayed our friendship that I was more-or-less immune to them, besides the worse. Whenever things really got physical, it had been Sophia doing the urging. The Red Menace stopped appearing, so much, so often.  
  
It was rarely ever, now.  
  
I was feeling a bit better. More willing to wear bright colors. Emma still tripped me or tried to spill things on me, but it wasn't a daily thing any more. I still had to deal with a constant barrage of insults, but words were just words.  
  
Life felt like it got less complicated.

* * *

It was seeing Canberra on the news that made me realize the truth.  
  
Seeing what was happening on the news. The Simurgh, descending on the city, hundreds of heroes rushing to fight against it. Dozens and dozens of whom would lose their lives in the process. No matter how many Endbringer attacks you live through, no matter how many you watch, it still hits hard when you see it.  
  
It made me angry, that something like that could even exist.  
  
And then those thoughts vanished as the Red Menace appeared from nothing, right in front of the television.  
  
"Ahhh!" Dad screamed, staring at him.  
  
"What the hell?!" I joined in, jumping to my feet.  
  
The Red Menace however, mostly ignored us, staring at the television. "...Too far away." he muttered, before looking at me, "How would I get to Canberra?"  
  
"How did you get in our house?!" Dad asked.  
  
"I..."  
  
"She brought me here, obviously." he said, gesturing at me, "Now. Canberra, how do I get there?"  
  
"I... I don't know." I say.  
  
He grit his teeth, "People are dying! Doesn't it twist you up inside?!"  
  
"But what can I do? I don't- I don't know how to get there! What would you even do against-  _that_?"  
  
He glares at the television, before snarling and stomping off.  
  
"What are you doing?" I ask, hurrying after him, "What are you doing in our house? Why have you been following me- helping me?"  
  
"Taylor?" Dad asks, following after us.  
  
"Quiet!" the Menace barked, climbing the stairs, heading for my room.  
  
"Don't go in there! That's my room!" I say, only to be stopped when Dad grabs me, keeping me from following him upstairs.  
  
"That's the parahuman whose been attacking students at your school?" he asks quietly, staring hard at the stairway as the Red Menace disappeared up into the loft.  
  
"The one whose been attacking the bullies at the school." I murmured, "He's- not all bad. He saved me from the locker, remember? Please don't call the police? I don't think he'll hurt us-" I stop as I hear the door to my bedroom opening above us.  
  
"I think he's rooting through your closet." Dad said into the silence, before glancing at the landline.  
  
"If we report a parahuman in here, then we'll be getting the PRT and maybe the Protectorate instead of the regular police, Dad." I say, "They'll destroy the house. Let's just... leave, for now. If he wants to rob us, then we should just get out of the way, we can't stop him right now."  
  
"The Protectorate won't be here." comes the voice of the Red Menace, coming back down the stairs, looking as if he's not sure whether to be amused or irritated. "They're all in Canberra,  _helping,_  remember? And I'm not going to  _hurt_  either of you." he said, sounding insulted "I'm a  _Guardian."_  he points at me, "Her guardian."  
  
"Why are you here?" Dad asked, "What made you think my daughter needs someone guarding her?"  
  
"I told you. She  _called_  me here." he sighed, "And since I can't stop what's hurting her right now-" he looks angrily at the television, "I can stop something else that has been." he throws- oh god.  
  
"What's this?" Dad asks.  
  
"Read it."  
  
"That's private." I growl, suddenly brave, angry. "You have no right." I snatch up the notebook filled with recordings of the past year of abuse.  
  
"Then  _talk_  for goodness sake!" he said, glaring first at me, and then at Dad, "Look. I'll make this simple enough for everyone to understand." he points at me, "Whenever you're furious at the injustice of it all, or terrified, or miserable, you call me, I appear, and I try to kiss-" he  _slams_  his knuckles together, shaking the entire room "-everything all  _better."_  
  
"I... I have powers?"  
  
"Sure. Except  _I'm_  the real one with powers." he says proudly, "Look. Since I can't do anything about that monster,  _you're_  the one I have to do something about." he says, pointing to Dad now.  
  
"Look, just- that's enough. I'll talk to him." I interrupt, looking at him, "You... you can go away."  
  
"I don't take orders from you." he says, sneering, "If you were any good at protecting yourself, you wouldn't need me!" he shrugs, "But sure. I'll leave this alone for now. I'm sure I can find something to do until I vanish." he glances at the notebook, "If you're going to talk to him, do you want me to get rid of that?"  
  
"...I'll hold onto it." the Red Menace shrugged again, before heading for the door. Opening it, stepping out into the street, and dashing away.  
  
Dad stares at the open door, before walking over to it, looking a bit confused and numb, and closing it, then locking it. He turns back to me, and sits back down in the chair, before idly clicking a button on the remote to silence the television.  
  
"...What was he talking about?"  
  
"Dad, there's something I should tell you."

* * *

  
Dad didn't take it well, of course.  
  
Explanations were made, about what happened leading up to the locker and afterwards. How the bullying became  _bearable,_  once Sophia was gone, but still present. Still a nuisance. Dad worked himself up into a rage, and it was somehow so sad, that the first time he managed to garner up some kind of emotional response for me since Mom is hatred for the people hurting me.  
  
I wonder if Dad ever triggered, if he'd be a Red Menace himself.

* * *

 _March_  
  
Dad has paid more attention to me lately. I knew that the school wouldn't listen, so I didn't want to press for legal stuff, although Dad wanted to rip Blackwell and almost all my teachers a new one. He had a number of stressful, terse, conversations with Alan Barnes that more-or-less managed to remain civil.  
  
Dad didn't threaten trying to take any legal action, and Alan didn't either. Just a quiet promise he would have a talk with his daughter.  
  
School wasn't pleasant, by any means, but Emma quieted down a bit too. I was merely hated at school, rather than actively oppressed. Madison would occasionally mess with my books, but as Emma's vitriol died down, that did too.  
  
Life... was  _okay._  
  
Unfortunately, that was just the normal part of it. I was a Cape now, although one with-  
  
Well not a useless power, but a very hard to manage one. I enjoyed having some modicum of control over things, but this power was anything but! I had to be extremely emotional just to make the Red Menace appear, and once he was there, he just did what he saw fit. He seemed to actively  _laugh_  whenever I tried to control him, either through outright "Do as I command, minion!" or manipulation.  
  
I think he could read my mind, or at least, could remember what I remember, but I can't do anything similar for him.  
  
But part of being a hero was being prepared, and I  _did_  want to be hero. That meant learning how my abilities worked. Learning how to force him into making an appearance was what I started with.  
  
Luckily, I had plenty of memories to work off of. Working myself into a rage was almost pitifully easy. Finding out what the Menace can do is another thing entirely. His attitude is just... infuriating. I try to get him to show me his powers at the boat graveyard one night, but he remembered the area was controlled by the ABB, and so he just ran off to do what he wanted.  
  
It took me summoning him at home and convincing him that me  _not_  being aware of his abilities would be dangerous for my health before he relented into actually talking to me and testing things out with me.  
  
I wasn't that avid of a Cape fan nowadays, but if I was going to be a Cape, I should look into things. I checked out the PHO boards, to try and find details and things to compare against. As far as I can tell, he's a standard Alexandria package, if one on the weaker end, with a few other things.  
  
He can't fly, really, but he can glide. Able to keep aloft for minutes at a time, falling as fast as he wants to, and being able to control the direction he can move. He can stick to walls like a spider, and was strong enough to easily punch through the steel hulls of the wrecks in the boat graveyard. He's an extremely fast runner, and has some kind of state where he could stop in mid-air to spin, increasing speed, before launching himself forward like a bullet.  
  
He's also immortal.  
  
He was very adamant about that. When I got around to awkwardly asking how durable he was, he told me flat-out to not worry about him dying. That was still an evening I didn't want to repeat. Letting him try to cut himself was just... gross. It felt wrong. He's more durable than a regular human, that's for sure. He even heals faster, or at least stops bleeding very quickly.  
  
When he dies, he comes back without any ill effects. He doesn't look worn out, he doesn't carry the old wounds, he doesn't even seem very fazed.  
  
Dad knows about my occasional trip to the boat graveyard, and while he doesn't much approve, he does understand that I want to figure out how to use my powers properly. I consider joining the Wards, but I'd like to get a better handle of what I'm actually supposed to and can do, first.  
  
It helps that my power is literally "Instant Bodyguard."

* * *

 _April_  
  
I decide to head out for an actual attempt at super-heroing one night. My  _eventual_  plan is to join the Wards, but first, I want to get an idea of what I can do on my own before plunging into a world of teen drama exacerbated by powers.  
  
As my power is really more of a long-range thing, I don't need a costume. I'm better served as only sticking around long enough that the Red Menace can get to whoever I want beaten up fast enough, and then getting out and not worrying about it. My power isn't suited for much else. To hide my identity, I have a wig, scarf, and hat. No one who sees me should think "Cape" or think "Taylor Hebert".  
  
I bought myself a collapsible baton and some pepper spray, just in case someone attacks me while the Menace is already out and about somewhere else. And I head for ABB territory.

* * *

I had really been hoping for something small-scale.  
  
I thought I found it, when I spotted the cigarette lighter briefly lighting up an Asian face, a flash of green and red colors decorating his clothes, among more people. More gang members.  
  
As I moved closer, just a bit, I knew that this wasn't just a group of people who happened to be ABB just hanging out. These people were quiet, disciplined, waiting for something. More people were coming out of one of the nearby buildings, and I knew that this was a meeting, or something. Something big, anyway. Maybe bigger than I wanted to handle on my first night...  
  
But then again, I could unleash the Red Menace, and walk away, without any real risk to myself. I was tempted. It wasn't how I think I liked to handle things, but it was something I could do. Maybe even what my power was best suited to.  
  
I thought about what the ABB does. Is doing. The gangs make my father's life worse, make Winslow even shittier. They're a blight on the city, making girls disappear off the street.  
  
I let myself get mad, and then the Red Menace is there. He acts just like he did in Winslow, before I knew he was my guardian. He doesn't look at me, even acknowledge that I'm there. He just starts walking forward.  
  
I turn around, and begin to walk away, getting some distance. I won't run off completely, if he gets killed or runs out of time and disappears, I want to be close enough to remake him so he can keep fighting.  
  
I hear shouts behind me, and the Red Menace's irritated, snarky, attitude-filled voice.  
  
I'm only thirty feet away or so when the gunfire starts. I stop and get angry, to see if the Red Menace would appear, already, if he had been shot, but he doesn't. And then more gunfire follows, and more.  
  
And then I hear the roar of flames.  
  
Oh shit. Lung.  
  
I stop where I am, and listen as best I can to the fight going on. I hear shouting of course, and footfalls, as gang members run this way and that. I hear crashes and the sound of fire.  
  
I listen for nearly three minutes- I have a watch of course, the Red Menace will vanish in ten minutes regardless, so I need to know when to remake him -before I hear the horrible sound of someone- probably Lung's- mangled voice laughing triumphantly. How dare he. Let's see how he likes this!  
  
The Red Menace appears, and glances at me, "Get out of here, but stay along the street." he orders, "In two minutes, send me again."  
  
"Two minutes?"  
  
"I'm not going to be cocky and think I'll get  _more_  out of it." he says, sneering, "And we can't just cut and run. He said he was planning on killing kids."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Two minutes, from... now!" he kicks off the ground, and runs back into the fray.

* * *

I did as he said, heading down the road, glancing at my watch. The sounds of fighting were getting worse behind me.   
  
Three... two... one! I stopped, focused on the idea of Lung killing kids, and the Red Menace appeared a few yards away, rushing back towards the fight.   
  
"Five minutes." he said, vanishing around a corner.   
  
I sighed, before continuing to follow the road, looking for... is that a payphone? Good! I rush inside, and make a call to the police. 

* * *

 _I head back up the street, aiming towards where I know the giant firey jerk is still kicking. Lung is nearly fifteen feet tall now. I scale a building in seconds, climb up to the roof, and begin charging up a spin dash.  
  
I kick off, and shoot forwards, slamming into his back. He fall to one knee, but even as I keep spinning, burrowing deeper into steel flesh, he grows, heals, gets bigger. The flames grow hotter, spilling from the cracks in his armor.   
  
I lose momentum, and I leap from his back, gliding away in time to avoid being ripped in half by his claws again.   
  
"AH'LL KELL YU!" he snarled from a mouth that was growing more draconic every second.   
  
I cling to a wall as I pass, climbing up, and jumping from building to building as he tries to land a fireball on me. I'm a bit worried about the fire spreading in my wake, but that just means I need to end this faster. I'm just... not sure how.   
  
Darn it! Things are supposed to stay down when I'm the one doing the pushing! I drop to ground level, running towards his feet. He bends low to swipe at me, but I take the chance to jump, curling into a ball, and colliding with his head. Metal crumples, reforms, continues to crumple, and then I'm on my feet, on his reforming stump of a neck, and I turn, running.   
  
The beginnings of wings are breaking through his back, and I take the edges of them as I run, pulling them until they're out of socket, and then even further- ripped out of his back entirely. He lets out a scream of fury, and sends a fireball careening in my direction.   
  
Luckily, I have some big, heavy, new tennis rackets to send it back. He flinches in surprise as the fireball washes over him, but he's unharmed. Darn it!  
  
Now, what can I- oops.   
  
His tail had swung by and just about broken every bone I have.   
  
He rounds on me, raising a foot, and I manage to grab a hold as he smashes me into the ground. When he lifts his foot, I'm clinging to it.   
  
Hmmm...  
  
I begin spinning, mid-air.   
  
Lung is sent spinning with me.   
  
"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!"  
  
He digs through the ground, still growing larger, the flames surrounding him blazing hotter and wilder. You know, I thought the thing that was going to kill me was the internal stuff from being crushed, but I'm incinerated first.   
  
Darn. Only lasted about three minutes, counting the running. _  
  
He vanished, and the leftover momentum ended up in Lung, sending the villain crashing further into the hole in the street he had already been melting his way down into. 

* * *

I leave the payphone behind and start making my way back, if things start getting too dangerous, I'll turn back, but things seem to have cooled down at least a bit. The fires are still raging, and there are gang members milling about, but the sounds of a man made of steel screaming through a mangled mouth had died down significantly.   
  
I stick close to doorways, avoiding the light, as I get closer. I consider heading up to the roof, but that might just end up making me stand out. But I do need to know if I should get closer to deploy the Menace again.   
  
My thoughts are interrupted as darkness washes over me, and the world just vanishes. I can't see, everything feels off. I'm understandably spooked.  
  
The Menace doesn't appear however. If this darkness or whatever hit me in particular rather than the area at large, I don't want them thinking they've found their girl. I huddle close to the ground, and grip my pepper spray. I'm utterly blind, but I still stare ahead into the darkness.   
  
It clears up, eventually, and I'm facing a group of Capes. Ones I don't recognize. A ren-fair pretty boy, a muscular man with darkness billowing off of him, a girl in purple, and a blocky person with a dog mask, and a few dogs following her to match.   
  
"She's the one who took down Lung?" ren-fair asks.   
  
The Menace  _took down_  Lung?! Go little red jerk.  
  
But if he did, where was he?  
  
"Yep." the girl said, walking forward, "Hey there. We really owe you one."   
  
"Wait... so those kids he said he was going to kill, were you guys? You don't look like any heroes I recognize."  
  
"Oh, we're not. Have you heard of the Undersiders-" the girl blinked, "Uh, we'll be in touch! Bye!" she turned on her heel and began walking away, leaving the others looking somewhat confused. "Come on!"   
  
"So you're  _villains?"_  I ask, thinking angry thoughts.   
  
"Shit. Run!" the girl in purple shouted.   
  
"I'm not going to run just because-" the one wearing a dog mask, another girl, began.   
  
Then the Red Menace appeared, smirking, before slapping his fist into his palm, "You're a real trouble-maker, aren't you kid?" he said to me, before rounding on the Undersiders, "Come on!"   
  
It was the beginning of a long career, as a hero, who made living life in Brockton Bay just a bit more bearable every time he was let out. They did their best.


End file.
